Billed as a family affair, with Sarfaraz Khan leading Aakash Tigers Mumbai Western Suburbs against younger brother Musheer Khan’s ARCS Andheri, left-arm pacer Ankur Singh stole the spotlight as Tigers kept their qualification hopes alive with a thrilling seven-run victory in a T20 Mumbai cricket league match on Sunday (June 7, 2026).

For long periods of the chase, ARCS Andheri appeared firmly in control. Powered by Prasad Pawar’s composed half-century (54, 39b, 3×4, 2×6), the Andheri outfit looked set to chase down 172 comfortably.

With Pawar and captain Shivam Dube at the crease, Andheri required 47 runs from the last five overs and seemed to have momentum firmly on its side.

The turnaround began when Dube attempted to take on Ankur. After being struck for a four and a six in the 16th over, the left-arm pacer had the last laugh, forcing Dube to top-edge towards third man where Akash Anand completed a running catch.

Even then with 16 needed from the final two overs with four wickets intact, the equation favoured the chasing side. But left-arm spinner Vinayak Bhoir swung the momentum decisively when he removed the well-set Pawar, whose attempted reverse sweep proved costly.

That left Ankur with 10 runs to defend in the final over. The pacer held his nerve brilliantly, dismissing two lower-order batters while refusing to concede a boundary before the last batter was run out off the final delivery to seal a dramatic win for Tigers.

While the men’s competition delivered late drama, the morning fixture in the T20 Women’s League proved a lop-sided affair as SoBo Mumbai Falcons maintained its unbeaten start with a comfortable 39-run victory against Aakash Tigers.

The scores: Aakash Tigers MWS 171/6 in 20 overs (Ajit Yadav 55, Jay Bista 35, Ajay Mishra 2/18) bt ARCS Andheri 164 in 20 overs (Prasad Pawar 54, Ayush Jethwa 36, Ankur Singh 4/39, Shams Mulani 2/30).

Triumph Knights MNE 147/8 in 20 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 48, Nutan Goel 34, Prathamesh Dake 4/30) lost to SoBo Mumbai Falcons 149/5 in 16.4 overs (Shreyas Iyer 61).

Women’s League: SoBo Mumbai Falcons 143/7 in 20 overs (Sarika Koli 49, Simran Shaikh 38, Fatima Jaffar 3/20) bt Aakash Tigers MWS 104 in 18.2 overs (Sanika Chalke 42, Swara Jadhav 2/12, Sayali Satghare 2/21, Nirmiti Rane 2/21).

Divyaansh Saxena equalled Hardik Tamore’s fastest fifty record in T20 Mumbai history with a breathtaking 17-ball half-century before remaining unbeaten on 88 (39b, 12×4, 4×6) as ARCS Andheri surged to the top of the standings with a crushing nine-wicket win over Eagle Thane Strikers at the Wankhede Stadium on Friday.

Chasing a meagre target of 130, Andheri was never in trouble. Southpaw Saxena tore into the bowling from the outset, peppering boundaries off Strikers captain Shardul Thakur and speedster Onkar Tarmale at will.

With Saxena dictating terms, Ayush Jethwa played the supporting role effectively, rotating strike and allowing his opening partner complete freedom. By the time Jethwa departed, the contest had effectively ended, with Saxena sealing victory with 50 deliveries remaining.

Earlier, it was captain Shivam Dube and his bowlers who laid the platform for Andheri. After opting to bat, the Strikers never recovered from an underwhelming PowerPlay despite brief resistance from Sairaj Patil (34) and wicketkeeper Eknath Kerkar (27), whose 41-run partnership temporarily steadied the innings.

Off-spinner Prasoon Singh starred with three wickets, while Dube and Ajay Mishra claimed two wickets each as Strikers were bowled out for 129. The collapse was emphatic: Andheri conceded just 26 runs and took five wickets across the final four overs.

Meanwhile, Thursday night saw Bandra Blasters register its first win of the season with a four-wicket victory over Triumph Knights Mumbai North East. India captain Suryakumar Yadav’s struggles continued as he managed only four runs off six deliveries, while rival skipper Suved Parkar’s second consecutive fifty helped Blasters chase down 179 comfortably.

The scores: Eagle Thane Strikers 129 in 20 overs (Sairaj Patil 34, Eknath Kerkar 27, Prasoon Singh 3/22, Ajay Mishra 2/13, Shivam Dube 2/19) lost to ARCS Andheri 130/1 in 11.4 overs (Divyaansh Saxena 88 n.o.).

Triumph Knight Mumbai North East 178/8 in 20 overs (Nutan Goel 40, Parikshit Valsangkar 36 n.o., Jayesh Pokhare 31 n.o., Sagar Chhabria 3/25, Dhrumil Matkar 2/31) lost to Bandra Blasters 179/6 in 19.3 overs (Suved Parkar 53, Jay Jain 49 n.o., Sagar Mishra 2/21).