The 10th and the last league match of the T20 India Nippon Cup was played between Kini RR Sports and Heron Sports at Samprasiddhi Sports Estadio, Bangalore, on January 9, in the afternoon.
Challuru Prathyusha, captain of Kini RR Sports, won the toss and elected to bat first. Opening bat Punam Raut (45) provided a solid start to her team, despite losing her partner Roshni Kiran (1) in the second over of the match. Raut played some delightful looking shots as she peppered the boundary rope four times and dispatched one over it. Wicket-keeper bat Nuzhat Parween came in after the fall of Kiran and scored a 34-ball 14. Apart from Raut and Parween, none of the other batters managed to score in double digits. Heron Sports’ bowlers and fielders had a wonderful day at office as they bowled out Kini RR Sports for a paltry 92 in 20 overs. The running between the wickets of Kini RR Sports was poor as half of the side was run out. Among the Heron Sports’ bowlers, Asha Joy was the pick of the bowlers as she scalped 2-12 in her four overs.
In reply, Heron Sports chased down the target in 18.1 overs, winning the match by four wickets. What was considered to be a cakewalk chase, turned out to be otherwise, as Kini RR Sports’ bowlers came hard at Heron Sports’ batters. The opening pair of Divya Gnananand (52 not out) and Shubha Satish (23) stitched a solid partnership of 54 runs in 7.4 overs laying a solid foundation. However, after the fall of Satish, Heron Sports’ lost wickets at regular intervals. Divya was losing partners at the blink of an eye. But the skipper held her nerves and stayed till the end to see her team through. For Kini RR Sports, Radha Yadav (2-16) and Debasmita Dutta (2-13) were the wicket-takers.
Heron Sports’ Divya Gnananand won the Player of the Match award for her match-winning knock of 52 not out off 51 balls.
Both the teams will play their last league match on Sunday at the same venue. Heron Sports will play against Sheen Sports, while Kini RR Sports will lock horns against Ameya Sports.
Match Summary – Match 10
Kini RR Sports – 92/10 in 20 overs
Punam Raut – 45(46)
Asha Joy – 2/12(4)Heron Sports – 96/6 in 18.1 overs
Divya Gnanananda – 51(51)
D.Dutta – 2/13(4)Heron beat Mini RR sports by 4 wickets
POTM: Divya Gnanananda#IndiaNipponCup
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) January 9, 2021
Brief Scores: Kini RR Sports 92 all out in 20 overs (P Raut 45, N Parween 14; A Joy 2-12) lost to Heron Sports 96-6 in 18.1 overs (D Gnananand 52 not out, S Satish 23; R Yadav 2-16, D Dutta 2-13) by 4 wickets
Points Table
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Lost | Tied | No result | Points | Net run rate |
| 1 | Sheen Sports | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | +0.587 |
| 2 | Kini RR Sports | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | -0.011 |
| 3 | Heron Sports | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | +0.212 |
| 4 | Ameya Sports | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -0.628 |
Updated after Match 10
I am a former cricketer having represented Mumbai University at All India University level. I was a part of MCA probables for the U-19 and U-23 age group. I have been an avid cricket writer for the last five years. Currently I am pursuing my Ph.D from IIT Bombay.