Sailors’ skipper Vathsal took a heavy toll of the Ripples’ attack.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
A statement knock (93, 53b, 11×4, 3×6) from captain Vathsal Govind eclipsed an unbeaten century from Mohammed Azharudden and powered Aries Kollam Sailors to a six-wicket win over Alleppey Ripples in the Kerala Cricket League at the Sports Hub Greenfield stadium on Tuesday.
Vathsal, who shed his image as an accumulator, rode his luck (dropped on zero and 67) to tear the Ripples attack to shreds and carry Sailors to their second win in the league.
Vathsal blended traditional shot-making with signature T20 shots like the ramp and reverse sweep to help Sailors chase down a target of 187 with 14 balls to spare.
Sailors started the chase disastrously, losing Arun Polouse for a duck, bowled through the gate by Vinil.
However, Abhishek J. Nair counterattacked and Vathsal, after the early reprieve, got into his groove, with the pair adding 96 runs for the second wicket in quick time.
Abhishek fell soon after completing his half-century, but Vathsal assumed the role of enforcer to take Sailors to the doorstep of victory. Earlier, Ripples overcame a slow start to post a competitive 186 for three, thanks to a late flourish from Azharuddeen (100, 51b, 6×4, 7×6).
Azharuddeen, who was dropped on 27, 29, 60 and 75, added 101 for the second wicket with Sachin Baby (40) and finished with a flourish by taking 19 runs from M.D. Nidheesh’s final over of the innings.
Enaan does it again!
Thrissur Titans moved to the top of the points table after scoring a thrilling one-wicket win over Trivandrum Royals. Titans needed 17 runs for a win after Sijomon Joseph’s three-wicket penultimate over tilted the match in favour of Royals.
However, for the second successive night, Mohammed Enaan (41 not out, 15b, 6×6) turned out to be a Titan as he smashed C.V. Vinod Kumar for three consecutive sixes to snatch an unlikely win.
The scores: Alleppey Ripples 186/3 in 20 overs (Mohammed Azharuddeen 100 n.o., Sachin Baby 40) lost to Aries Kollam Sailors 187/4 in 17.4 overs (Vathsal Govind 93, Abhishek J. Nair 52, K. Ajinas 2/45).
Trivandrum Royals 181/6 in 20 overs (Govind Dev Pai 76 n.o., Abhishek P. Nair 40, Krishna Prasad 30, Biju Narayanan 2/27) lost to Thrissur Titans 183/9 in 19.4 overs (Shoun Roger 68, Mohammed Enaan 41 n.o, A.K. Arjun 27, Sijomon Joseph 3/7).
Published – August 25, 2026 08:28 pm IST
