Tushar Deshpande’s four-wicket haul helped Maratha Royals restrict North Mumbai Panthers to a sub-150 total.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Chinmay Sutar rediscovered his touch just when defending champion MSC Maratha Royals needed it the most, guiding his side into its second successive T20 Mumbai final with a nervy victory over North Mumbai Panthers at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.
The Orange Cap winner from Royals’ triumphant 2025 campaign had endured a relatively subdued season by his lofty standards. But on a sluggish surface in a high-pressure semifinal, Sutar emerged as the difference-maker.
His unbeaten 62 (49b, 5×4, 1×6) anchored Royals’ chase of 149 and sealed its place in Saturday’s final, where Siddhesh Lad’s men will face the Shivam Dube-led ARCS Andheri.
The pursuit, however, was anything but straightforward. Panthers’ spearhead Mohit Avasthi struck twice in the opening over to leave Royals struggling at five for two. While Ayaz Khan carried forward the confidence from his match-winning effort a night earlier and dominated the PowerPlay, Sutar preferred to settle in before gradually taking control of the innings.
After Ayaz departed and Lad paid the price for dragging a Pravesh Pal long-hop back on to his stumps, the responsibility of seeing the chase through rested squarely on Sutar’s shoulders.
He responded with maturity. Picking his moments carefully, Sutar kept the scoreboard moving through deft placement while taking calculated risks against the Panthers’ spinners, particularly left-arm slow bowler Vaibhav Mali. Although wickets fell around him, he remained composed enough to steer Royals past the finish line.
Earlier in the day, ARCS Andheri overpowered Aakash Tigers Mumbai Western Suburbs. Dube led from the front with a finishing masterclass, his unbeaten 45 (26b, 1×4, 5×6) rescuing Andheri from a precarious position before ensuring a comfortable passage into the title clash.
The scores: North Mumbai Panthers 148 in 20 overs (Anish Chaudhery 33, Abhigyan Kundu 40, Atharva Bhosale 2/40, Aditya Dhumal 2/28, Tushar Deshpande 4/21) lost to MSC Maratha Royals 152/7 in 19.5 overs (Ayaz Khan 32, Chinmay Sutar 62 n.o., Mohit Avasthi 3/35, Pravesh Pal 3/27). Aakash Tigers MWS 150/7 in 20 overs (Jay Bista 35, Sarfaraz Khan 34, Ashutosh Ghagre 2/21) lost to ARCS Andheri 151/5 in 18.3 overs (Divyaansh Saxena 34, Shivam Dube 45 n.o., Shams Mulani 2/23, Ajit Yadav 2/23).
Published – June 12, 2026 12:27 am IST
