Ayaz Khan rose to the occasion when it mattered, his composed yet authoritative knock ensuring MSC Maratha Royals kept its title defence alive by sealing a place in the T20 Mumbai semifinals at the Wankhede Stadium here on Wednesday.

Ayaz’s superb 87 (49b, 7×4, 3×6) helped Royals chase down 169 against ARCS Andheri and set up a last-four showdown against North Mumbai Panthers on Thursday.

Even before the final league fixture began, the equation had become crystal clear. With SoBo Mumbai Falcons defeating table-topper Panthers earlier in the day, Siddhesh Lad’s Royals needed only a victory to advance.

Already assured of a semifinal berth, Andheri opted to rest captain Shivam Dube, placing the responsibility of steering the innings on Musheer Khan’s shoulders.

The youngster responded impressively. Musheer crafted a fluent 62 off 36 deliveries, timing the ball sweetly and ensuring the scoreboard continued to move despite wickets falling at regular intervals.

However, a disciplined Royals attack denied Andheri the late flourish it desperately sought, restricting the innings to 168 at the end of the allotted overs.

The chase suffered an early setback when opener Sahil Jadhav departed off the very first ball. Ayaz, though, remained unfazed. Walking in at No. 3 under considerable pressure, the stylish left-hander built the innings methodically before accelerating at the right moments.

Equally adept at finding gaps and clearing the ropes, Ayaz ensured Royals never found themselves behind the required rate. By the time he departed in the 18th over, the outcome was a mere formality.

The scores: ARCS Andheri 168 in 20 overs (Musheer Khan 62, Tushar Deshpande 2/39, Irfan Umair 2/27, Atharva Bhosale 2/35, Maxwell Swaminathan 2/45, Aditya Dhumal 2/14) lost to MSC Maratha Royals 170/5 in 18.2 overs (Ayaz Khan 87, Prasoon Singh 3/26).

North Mumbai Panthers 157 in 19.2 overs (Anish Chaudhery 32, Abhigyan Kundu 45, Yash Dicholkar 2/17, Vedant Gore 2/33, Mayuresh Tandel 4/30) lost to SoBo Mumbai Falcons 158/3 in 18.1 overs (Ishan Mulchandani 65, Gautam Waghela 45 n.o.).

Semifinal line-up: ARCS Andheri vs Aakash Tigers MWS (2 p.m.); North Mumbai Panthers vs MSC Maratha Royals (7 p.m.).

Women’s League: Thane Sky Risers 113/9 in 20 overs (Vrushali Bhagat 32, Manali Dakshini 2/20, Batul Pereira 2/22) lost to Aakash Tigers MWS 117/2 in 15 overs (Sanika Chalke 74 n.o., Fatima Jaffer 35 n.o., Kashish Nirmal 2/32).

Suved Parkar produced a captain’s innings, equalling the highest individual score in T20 Mumbai history with a scintillating 110 (54b, 10×4, 7×6). Yet, even that wasn’t enough as North Mumbai Panthers scripted another extraordinary chase before holding its nerve in a dramatic Super Over to register a second successive victory against Bandra Blasters.

Chasing a daunting 229 at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday, Panthers once again found inspiration through opener Hardik Tamore, whose second consecutive half-century — 83 (39b, 10×4, 4×6) — ensured the chase never drifted away. His 67-run partnership with Abhigyan Kundu, who contributed 39 (24b, 3×4, 1×6), kept Panthers firmly in contention through the middle overs.

Tanush Kotian then played the finishing act to perfection with 32 n.o. (14b, 2×4, 2×6), while Vaibhav Mali unleashed 32 (14b, 2×4, 2×6) as Panthers remarkably drew level at 228.

Even after Mali’s dismissal in the penultimate over, the chase remained alive courtesy left-arm spinner Rahul Sawant, whose consecutive pull shots — a boundary and a six off Royston Dias — shifted momentum dramatically.

Needing 14 off the final four deliveries, Kotian responded with characteristic composure, reducing the equation to three off the final ball. When Dhanit Raut’s last delivery was driven over covers for a couple, the game headed into a Super Over.

Mali once again turned aggressor, taking on Atif Attarwala’s left-arm pace with two sixes and a boundary to set a challenging target. Seasoned seamer Mohit Avasthi then produced a near-flawless Super Over, sealing a memorable victory for the Ajinkya Rahane-led Panthers.

Earlier in the afternoon, Parkar’s conventional strokemaking set Blasters on course for a a gargantuan total. But once he perished in the 15th over after scoring 110 — the same as Jay Bista in 2019, the Blasters couldn’t pile on 250. Those last five overs, in the end, turned out to be the difference.

The scores: Bandra Blasters 228/5 in 20 overs (Suved Parkar 110, Prateek Ravishankar 33, Pratik Mishra 3/38) tied with North Mumbai Panthers 228/8 in 20 overs (Hardik Tamore 83, Abhigyan Kundu 39, Tanush Kotian 32 n.o., Vaibhav Mali 32, Sagar Chhabria 3/9, Dhrumil Matkar 3/32).

Super Over: North Mumbai Panthers 20/1 bt Bandra Blasters 7 for no loss.

SoBo Mumbai Falcons 126 in 18.2 overs (Aditya Tare 59, Shivam Dube 3/17, Ajay Mishra 3/27, Deepak Shetty 2/32) lost to ARCS Andheri 127/5 in 14 overs (Divyaansh Saxena 50).

Women’s League: Aakash Tigers Mumbai Western Suburbs 113/9 in 20 overs (Sayali Satghare 4/29, Swara Jadhav 3/19) lost to SoBo Mumbai Falcons 117/3 in 15.5 overs (Sarika Koli 33 n.o., Sayali Satghare 30 n.o.).