Valsangkar, Parkar lead Knights to 38-run win

Parikshit Valsangkar en route his 24-ball 39 at Wankhede on Saturday. Pic/Suresh Karkera

Parikshit Valsangkar and Akash Parkar lived up to their reputations as reliable all-rounders to keep defending champions Triumph Knights Mumbai North East in the hunt for a semi-final berth in the second edition of T20 Mumbai.

The duo's impressive efforts with bat and ball helped Knights pocket the must-win game against Eagle Thane Strikers by 38 runs on Saturday. While Valsangkar's quick-fire 39 (24b, 6x4, 1x6) at No. 3 gave the Knights the early impetus, Parkar's powerful 34 (20b, 1x4, 3x6) - aided by in-form Karan More's 36 (26b, 4x4) - gave the team a perfect finish to post a decent 162 for seven.

The Strikers then faltered on a slow pitch, with an accurate bowling display by all the bowlers. While Valsangkar was economical with his leggies, conceding just 19 runs in his three overs, Parkar got the prized scalp of the dangerous Sarfaraz Khan in the 10th over. Yash Dicholkar bagged three wickets, including that of Strikers' captain Aditya Tare. Strikers eventually scored 124 for nine and lost the game.

In another match, SoBo SuperSonics beat Aakash Tigers by 10 runs. Batting first, SuperSonics scored 143-6, thanks to Parag Khanapurkar's 40-ball 45. In reply, the Tigers were restricted to 133-7. Spinner Dhrumil Matkar was the pick for the bowlers for SuperSonics with 3-28.

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