Falcons celebrate after bagging the inaugural women’s crown.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Chinmay Sutar enhanced his reputation as a big-match player with a second successive half-century before MSC Maratha Royals’ experienced bowling unit held its nerve to script a successful defence of the T20 Mumbai title with a tense eight-run victory over ARCS Andheri in the final at the Wankhede Stadium here on Saturday.
Having soaked in the pressure with a match-winning knock in the semifinal, Chinmay once again rose to the occasion when it mattered the most. His composed 61 (52b, 4×4, 2×6), coupled with a crucial 65-run stand with captain Siddhesh Lad (33, 25b, 3×4, 1×6), rescued Royals from a precarious position and guided it to a competitive 154 for five on a sluggish surfaceoffering appreciable assistance to the spinners.
The chase ebbed and flowed. Maxwell Swaminathan’s off-spin strangled Andheri during the PowerPlay before Royals tightened the screws through Aditya Dhumal’s left-arm spin in the middle overs. Yet, thanks to opener Divyaansh Saxena’s 51 (40b,4×4, 3×6), the contest remained alive with Shivam Dube at the crease.
When the India all-rounder took guard for the final phase, Andheri required 51 runs from 31 deliveries. The duel between Dube and Tushar Deshpande was set to determine the result.
The 18th over brought both drama and emotion. Lad, who had taken the field despite battling a serious elbow injury, broke down after aggravating it. Amid the interruption, Dube launched Deshpande for a towering six to briefly tilt momentum in Andheri’s favour.
But Deshpande, who finished as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker, responded in style. The pacer forced a miscued pull from Dube, with Dhumal completing a vital catch in the deep.
Four deliveries later, veteran Gaurav Jathar fell to Irfan Umair, a dismissal that triggered heated exchanges between players from both camps as tempers flared. Rohan Raje delivered a superb final over to dash Andheri’s hopes and spark jubilant celebrations in the Royals camp.
Earlier, SoBo Mumbai Falcons defeated Aakash Tigers MSW by 25 runs to lift the inaugural women’s title.
The scores (final): Women: SoBo Mumbai Falcons 124/6 in 20 overs (Simran Shaikh 50, Ritika Yadav 3/22) bt Aakash Tigers MSW 99 in 18.5 overs (Swara Jadhav 2/14, Janhvi Kate 3/21).
Men: MSC Maratha Royals 154/5 in 20 overs (Chinmay Sutar 61, Siddhesh Lad 33, Arjun Tendulkar 2/36) bt ARCS Andheri 146/8 in 20 overs (Divyaansh Saxena 51, Irfan Umair 2/42, Tushar Deshpande 2/33, Aditya Dhumal 2/20).
Published – June 14, 2026 12:09 am IST
