How Did the Shreyas Iyer-led Mumbai Falcons and Eagle Thane Strikers Reach the Semis?

Mumbai, June 8 (NationPress) The Eagle Thane Strikers, captained by Atharva Ankolekar, defeated Shreyas Iyer’s SOBO Mumbai Falcons by a significant margin of 36 runs, ensuring their advancement to the semifinals of the T20 Mumbai League 2025 at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday.

The match saw an exceptional performance from captain Ankolekar and star player Sairaj Patil, who played pivotal roles in the Strikers’ third victory out of four games. Patil was the standout batsman, scoring 61 runs off 37 balls, and also made a considerable impact with the ball by taking four wickets. Despite this loss, Shreyas Iyer’s SOBO Mumbai Falcons moved to the next round with a total of six points.

In another match, the MSC Maratha Royals triumphed over ARCS Andheri by six wickets, securing their place in the semifinals.

Earlier, the Aakash Tigers MWS, led by Shams Mulani, showcased a powerful batting display to overcome Prithvi Shaw’s North Mumbai Panthers by 22 runs in a rain-affected T20 Mumbai League 2025 game at the Wankhede Stadium. Heavy rain caused a delay, resulting in a match truncated to five overs per side.

Chasing a challenging target of 67 runs on a pitch offering noticeable movement, the Panthers started cautiously. The opening duo of Shaw and Divyaansh Saxena attempted to accelerate the scoring but were hindered by some sharp bowling and a slow outfield.

As pressure mounted, a visibly frustrated Shaw attempted to hit a ball over long-off but was caught out, leading to a disappointing end to the Panthers' chase at 45/2.

Earlier, after being put in to bat, the Tigers maintained a high scoring rate despite losing wickets regularly. The in-form pair of Mulani (12) and Arjun Dani (10) helped the Tigers reach 66/7.

The rain disrupted the highly anticipated opening match between Bandra Blasters, captained by Suryakumar Yadav, and Triumphs Knights MNE, forcing a cancellation due to heavy downpour. A sizable crowd at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai was left disappointed as the match promised to be exciting.

Bandra Blasters batted first, scoring 192/7 in their 20 overs, led by a rapid half-century from opener Suved Parkar.

Parkar thrilled the crowd with his innings, scoring 69 runs off 37 balls, including eight boundaries and three sixes, before falling to a catch at third man. Shyamsundar Keshkamat (41) and Vikrant Auti contributed 62 runs together, but the Blasters struggled to maintain momentum due to consistent wickets from the Knights.

Facing a hefty target, the Knights faltered early with the loss of opener Siddhant Aadhhathrao, caught at the boundary. However, rain soon interrupted the game, ending the day prematurely.

The tournament is being broadcast on Star Sports 1 (English & Hindi), Star Sports 2 (English), and JioHotstar.

Brief scores:

Match 1: Bandra Blasters 192/7 in 20 overs (Suved Parkar 69, Om Keshkamat 41, Vikrant Auti 36; Minad Manjrekar 3/33, Hitesh Kadam 2/40) vs Triumph Knights MNE 20/1 in 3 overs (Parikshit Valsangkar 12 not out; Royston Dias 1/12): No Result

Match 2: Aakash Tigers MWS 66/7 in 5 overs (Hardik Tamore 16, Shams Mulani 12; Pratik Mishra 2/31, Pravesh Pal 2/20) beat North Mumbai Panthers 45/2 in 5 overs (Prithvi Shaw 19, Divyaansh Saxena 12; Sylvester Dsouza 1/7) by 21 runs.

Match 3: ARCS Andheri 179/6 in 20 overs (Prasad Pawar 70, Pragnesh Kanpille 27; Maxwell Swaminathan 2/29) lost to MSC Maratha Royals 182/4 in 18.3 overs (Chinmay Sutar 79, Siddhesh Lad 62; Pragnesh Kanpille 1/16) by six wickets.

Match 4: Eagle Thane Strikers 151/8 in 20 overs (Sairaj Patil 61, Vinay Kunwar 39; Harsh Ramnath Aghav 3/30) beat SOBO Mumbai Falcons 115 all out in 15.4 overs (Shreyas Iyer 25, Akash Parkar 19; Sairaj Patil 4/19) by 36 runs.