India Masters enter IML 2025 semifinals; beat West Indies Masters in last-over thriller in last-over thriller

Raipur (Chhattisgarh) [India], March 9 (ANI): India Masters gave final touches to their preparations for the semifinals of the International Masters League (IML) 2025 as they registered a spectacular seven-run win against West Indies Masters to kick off the final leg of the tournament in Raipur on Saturday.
The home side rode Stuart Binny's three-wicket burst and a smart final over from Irfan Pathan to get over the line in the high-scoring thriller.
The stage was set for a nostalgic showdown, rekindling one of cricket's most legendary rivalries--Sachin Tendulkar vs Brian Lara. While the Indian icon was rested, the contest still lived up to its billing, delivering a captivating blend of nostalgia and exhilarating action. India Masters set the tone with a commanding batting display, spearheaded by blistering half-centuries from Ambati Rayudu and Saurabh Tiwary, before Yuvraj Singh's late-order fireworks propelled them to an imposing 253/3.
Under stand-in skipper Yuvraj Singh, the home side took first strike after Lara won the toss, sending them in. And as the new opening pair of Ambati Rayudu (63) and Saurabh Tiwary (60) took their stances against the bustling run-up of Dwayne Smith, the match took on a different hue -- not of old foes reliving their battles, but of a new set of veterans stepping up to continue the legacy in front of a sizeable weekend crowd led by Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium here.
India's innings began with purpose as Rayudu and Tiwary successfully countered the movement on a pitch with a slight tinge of green. After receiving a reprieve early on, Rayudu, in particular, took the attack to the West Indies Masters, dealing in boundaries and showing no mercy to the spin duo of Ashley Nurse and Sulieman Benn to bring up a blistering half-century in just 30 balls.
However, just as Rayudu looked set to run away with the game, Benn struck back, breaking the stellar 94-run opening stand with the wicket of Rayudu, whose 35-ball knock was laced with eight fours and four sixes. Meanwhile, Tiwary remained steady at the crease and went on to slam a half-century in 32 balls. In the process, his 79-run second wicket partnership with Gurkeerat Singh Mann (46) continued to build momentum at a rapid pace, propelling India Masters past 150 by the 14th over.
There was no respite for the West Indies Masters as Gurkeerat took the attack to Jonathan Carter, smashing him for two towering sixes and a boundary. However, Carter had his revenge, dismissing Gurkeerat just four runs short of a well-deserved half-century. The over could have been even more fruitful for the bowler had Lendl Simmons not put down Tiwary on 52.
The left-handed Tiwary tried to make the most of his reprieve, dispatching Jerome Taylor for a six, but his attempt to accelerate further proved costly as he perished to the same bowler after slamming seven boundaries and two maximums. Towards the end, Yuvraj wasted no time in stamping his authority with a 20-ball unbeaten 49, and the brutal assault resulted in an undefeated 67-run stand with Yusuf Pathan (14 not out), that helped India to the mammoth total.
In response, West Indies Masters matched India's aggression with an explosive start. Dwayne Smith (79) and William Perkins (52) launched a fierce counterattack, slamming destructive fifties and forging a menacing 121-run opening stand. But just when the visitors looked in control, Binny's introduction turned the tide, his crucial breakthroughs derailing the chase and steering India Masters to a memorable victory.
With the dew settling in, Smith, who brought up his half-century in just 22 balls, went on to plunder Irfan Pathan for 20 runs in an over before Perkins joined the onslaught by launching left-arm spinner Pawan Negi over long-on to bring up his own fifty off just 23 deliveries. However, the breakthrough finally arrived on the very next ball, as Negi held on to a towering return catch to dismiss the wicketkeeper-batter, bringing an end to the destructive stand.
New man Lendl Simmons took the six-hitting contest to another level, dismantling Rahul Sharma with five towering maximums and a boundary in a single over, plundering 34 runs to propel the visitors to 156/1 at the halfway mark. However, India Masters found a glimmer of hope through Negi, who ended Simmons' brutal onslaught at 38 off just 12 deliveries.
Binny then delivered the much-needed breakthrough, deceiving Smith with a well-disguised knuckleball after the explosive opener had hammered seven fours and six monstrous sixes in his 34-ball blitz. The medium pacer further tilted the momentum in India's favour by dismissing the dangerous Jonathan Carter (11) and Kirk Edwards (4). Joining forces with the tourists needing another 69, Ashley Nurse (21 not out) and Narsingh Deonarine (28) kept their calm to bring down the equation to 24 off the final over, before Pathan used his experience to restrict them to 246/6, that included a first-ball boundary from Brian Lara.
Brief Scores: India Masters 253/3 (Ambati Rayudu 63, Saurabh Tiwary 60, Suleiman Benn 1/34) vs West Indies Masters 246/6 (Dwayne Smith 79, William Perkins 52, Stuart Binny 3/13). (ANI)