Bhopal Leopards chased down a stiff target of 195 by five wickets with more than an over to spare against Malwa Stallions in the Madhya Pradesh League (MPL) T20 Scindia Cup 2026 at Holkar Stadium, Indore, on 17 June. Captain Aniket Verma's explosive 60 off 29 deliveries — laced with five sixes and five fours — was the centrepiece of a chase that was never in serious doubt after the halfway mark.

Malwa Stallions Build a Competitive Total

Malwa Stallions were put in to bat and posted 194/9 in 20 overs, an innings briefly interrupted by rain. The top order suffered an early blow when Saksham Purohit fell for 5 off 4 balls, but Ansh Yadav and Akhil Nigote Yadav steadied the ship with a 57-run second-wicket stand. Ansh departed for 13 off 11, while Akhil pressed on to a fine 63 off 36 balls before being dismissed.

Skipper Ashutosh Sharma chipped in with an aggressive 32 off 18 deliveries in a 39-run third-wicket partnership with Akhil. The middle order then kept the scoreboard moving: Parth Sahani blazed 41 off 24, Rishabh Chouhan added 19 off 16, and Sachin Vishwakarma contributed a brisk 12 off 8 to push the Stallions to a challenging finish.

For Bhopal, Anurag Malviya was the pick of the bowlers with 3/36 from his four overs, while Pranjul Puri chipped in with 2/33.

Bhopal Leopards' Powerhouse Chase

Openers Rahul Chandrol and Tanishq Yadav gave Bhopal a rapid start, putting on 33 runs in just 3.2 overs. Chandrol fell for a quickfire 24 off 14, but Tanishq continued alongside captain Verma to take the chase by the scruff of the neck.

Verma was particularly severe on Parth Sahani, smashing him for three sixes in a single over. Tanishq eventually fell caught behind off Ashutosh Sharma for 37 off 23, but by that point the Leopards were cruising at 108/2 after 10 overs. Verma brought up his half-century before departing for 60 off 29, his dismissal one of a couple of timely blows the Stallions managed in the back half of the chase.

Bagadia and Shinde Seal the Win

With Verma gone, Ansh Bagadia and Himanshu Shinde shared a crucial 62-run fifth-wicket partnership to keep the required run rate well within reach. Bagadia contributed 29 off 20 before falling with Bhopal needing just one more run. Kamal Tripathi hit the winning runs, while Shinde finished unbeaten on 32 off 18 to complete a comfortable victory.

Verma Reflects on His Innings

Speaking after the match, Aniket Verma said, 'My approach was simple. In the powerplay, I wanted to spend a little time at the crease, settle in, and then build the innings one ball at a time. The idea was to ensure we found at least one boundary every over so that the required run rate never got out of control. I wasn't really looking at my strike rate, but in hindsight, I feel I could have taken the game even deeper and finished it myself. That's something I'll look to improve in the coming matches.'

The result sees Bhopal Leopards return to winning ways in the MPL T20 Scindia Cup 2026, with the tournament continuing at Holkar Stadium in the days ahead.