When the idea of TG20 was first floated and plans for its inaugural season began to take shape, there was a palpable buzz across Telangana’s cricketing circles. Much of the excitement centered on the promise of discovering hidden gems — talented cricketers from districts beyond Hyderabad finally getting a stage worthy of their ambitions.

That promise has been fulfilled, but perhaps no story captures TG20’s impact better than that of Ved Reddy.

The 16-year-old emerged as one of the revelations of the tournament, spearheading Khammam Aces’ remarkable run to the final. Relentlessly consistent, Ved struck in all nine appearances, finishing second on the wicket-takers’ charts with 15 scalps.

Like most teenagers, though, Ved’s world extends beyond cricket. Every wicket he claims is followed by a celebration that has become as recognizable as his ripping leg-breaks.

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“It’s Michael Olise’s celebration. I am a Real Madrid fan and there are talks about him joining Real Madrid,” he tells The Hindu.

An ardent admirer of Cristiano Ronaldo, Ved’s cricketing journey began almost by chance. At the age of 11, he joined a corporate league where his father played. Competing against men, he finished as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with 15 wickets in just six matches, a breakthrough that set him firmly on the path he now walks.

His transformation into a leg-spinner, however, was born less out of design and more out of practicality. “It was easy for me to turn when I was playing with the tennis ball. It was difficult to run a lot and bowl fast. I used to take two steps and spin, and that’s how I became a spinner.”

While Shane Warne is one of his idols, he also looks up to Rashid Khan a lot.

For all his composure and clarity beyond his years, TG20 presented Ved with an entirely new challenge. Floodlights, loud music, packed stands and the spectacle of professional cricket initially threatened to overwhelm the teenager.

“The fans, music, lights and everything, I felt a little pressure in the first one or two games. I didn’t know what to do. I needed to focus, so I set everything aside, and before every ball, I closed my eyes and breathed a little. That calms me a little.”

The nerves ran so deep that, as Ved recalls with a mischievous smile, even his body refused to cooperate. “My first over, I wanted to bowl the ball somewhere, and it would go somewhere else.”

It did not take long for those jitters to disappear.

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As the tournament progressed, Ved evolved into Aces’ go-to weapon. Trusted with the new ball during the PowerPlay and relied upon again through the middle overs, he repeatedly delivered breakthroughs that kept his side in the contest.

His performances quickly became one of the talking points of the tournament, drawing admiration from opponents, coaches and seasoned professionals alike. Among those impressed was Abhirath Reddy, the Hyderabad e-Champions captain who powered his side to the title while amassing 549 runs to claim the Orange Cap.

Ved had dismissed him during their league-stage encounter. Minutes after that game, Abhirath summed up the teenager’s tournament in one emphatic assessment: “He is the find of the tournament, without a doubt.”

For the first time this season, Hyderabad e-Champions blinked. And Khammam Aces seized the moment with both hands, riding on Mickil Jaiswal’s electrifying unbeaten 76 to snap e-Champions’ winning streak and enter the TG20 final with a 10-run victory in Qualifier 1 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Thursday.

Asked to bat, Aces stumbled early, losing two wickets in the PowerPlay. But G. Sai Krishna Reddy steadied the innings, guiding his side to 87 for three at the halfway mark, before Jaiswal ignited the charge.

The right-handed Jaiswal raced to a 26-ball fifty and dominated the closing stages, smashing 71 of the 98 runs plundered in the final eight overs, as Aces surged to 200 for six.

e-Champions threatened through the PowerPlay despite losing Abhirath Reddy early, racing to 71 for one. But once the field spread, the Aces bowlers tightened the screws. Sai Vikas Reddy fought a lone battle with a gritty half-century, but disciplined bowling choked the chase, handing e-Champions their first defeat of the season.

Earlier, Tanmay Agarwal dazzled with a century as Karimnagar Diamonds crushed Ranga Reddy Risers by 75 runs in the Eliminator. Tanmay and Hrishikesh Simha produced a 139-run second-wicket stand off just 69 balls before a late collapse left Diamonds at 238 for seven.

The target proved beyond reach for Risers, who lost wickets at regular intervals. Ashish Srivastav starred with a five-wicket haul, while half-centuries from Tanay Thyagarajann and Nitin Sai Yadav merely delayed the inevitable.

The scores: Qualifier 1: Khammam Aces 200/6 in 20 overs (Paras Raj 32, G. Sai Krishna Reddy 40, Mickil Jaiswal 76 n.o., Akhil Rathod 2/33) bt Hyderabad e-Champions 190/8 in 20 overs (Sai Vikas Reddy 69, Ved Reddy 2/33, Sahendra Mallu 3/31). Eliminator: Karimnagar Diamonds 238/7 in 20 overs (Tanmay Agarwal 137, Hrishikesh Simha 50, Aryan Cariappa 2/52) bt Ranga Reddy Risers 163 in 16.3 overs (Tanay Thyagarajann 63, Nitin Sai Yadav 50, Shubham Sharma 2/14, Ashish Srivastav 5/16).