Maharaja Trophy: Taha fires as Hubli Tigers down Shivamogga Lions in their fourth consecutive victory

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], August 20 (ANI): The Hubli Tigers downed Shivamogga Lions by eight wickets, to log their fourth consecutive victory at the Maharaja Trophy at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Tuesday.
An explosive knock from Mohd Taha (35) that came in 12 balls saw the Hubli Tigers overhaul their revised target of 51 runs in five overs. Earlier in the day, Hardik Raj (35) and S Shivraj (24) shone with the bat, but the Shivamogga Lions could not recover from a slow start that only netted 15 runs in five overs.
Mohd Taha ignited Hubli's chase with an explosive start, launching two sixes off Vasuki Kaushik in the opening over. He followed up with a destructive display against Hardik Raj in the third over, smashing three consecutive sixes and a boundary, lifting Hubli to a strong 45/1 in three overs.
Taha's blitzkrieg ended when he became Pradeep's second of the night in the fourth over. However, KL Shrijith (8*) and Manish Pandey (4*) remained unbeaten as the Tigers cruised home with 8 wickets and 10 balls to spare.
The Shivamogga Lions had a rough start, losing Bharath Dhuri early to Nischith Pai. Rohit K (19) and Aadithya VK (1) found it difficult to break free against Hubli's pace attack, leaving the Lions at a precarious 15/1 after five overs.
A brief rain delay reduced the match to 17 overs a side. Aadithya VK (1) got retired out following a laborious 15-ball stay, paving the way for Hardik Raj to step in. Raj had an instant impact; taking down Kumar LR for two fours and a six in the seventh over.
Rohit K (19) was then scalped by KC Cariappa, bringing Abhinav Manohar to the crease with the score at 44/2 in 7.2 overs. Manohar looked menacing as he launched Shreesha Achar for two maximums before Achar scalped him in the same over.
A stellar piece of fielding from Kumar LR ran out Hardik Raj. Coming in next, Shivraj fired instantly, clobbering three consecutive sixes in his first three balls, off Achar in the 13th. Shivraj struck another boundary before he was dismissed by KC Cariappa. His 24 runs came in only six deliveries.
In the penultimate over, Ullal (6) was dismissed by Kumar LR. Meanwhile, Dhruv Prabhakaran (14) batted fiercely taking down Kaverappa for three boundaries, but Kaverappa would dismiss him in the final over. Aditya Mani (5*) and Pradeep T (9*) remained unbeaten as the Shivamogga Lions finished with 137/8 in 17 overs. (ANI)