Hyderabad, June 22, 2026: Captain Tanay Thyagarajan led from the front as Ranga Reddy Risers pulled off a remarkable chase of 190, defeating Anurag Nalgonda Knights by five wickets in Match 2 of the Sreenidhi University TG20 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad on Monday.
After restricting the Knights to 189/8 despite a fighting unbeaten 40 from Harshwardhan Singh and 48 from Divesh Singh, the Risers recovered from 60/4 to reach 190/5 in just 16.3 overs, courtesy of a match-defining partnership between Thyagarajan and Aditya Javvaji before Nitin Yadav’s late fireworks sealed the win with 21 balls to spare.
Ranga Reddy Risers got off to the ideal start as B. Punnaiah dismissed Gaurav Reddy for a duck in the first over of the match.
Knights struggled to find boundaries early on, though Nitish Reddy briefly counterattacked with two sixes off Punnaiah. Captain Tanay Thyagarajan then struck in the fourth over to remove Pranav Suryadevara (7 off 10), making it 22/2.
Nitish scored a brisk 20 off 14 balls before Aryan Cariappa bowled him at the end of the fifth over, leaving the Knights at 34/3.
Skipper Rahul Buddhi (30 off 19) provided much-needed momentum, including a 19-run over off Arun Kumar, but Nitin Yadav broke the stand in the 10th over to send him back to the pavilion.
Divesh Singh then took charge with some impressive strokeplay, adding 33 runs alongside Varun Goud (26 off 21) before Cariappa struck again to dismiss the latter and keep the pressure on.
With 122/5 on the board after 14 overs, Divesh raised the tempo. However, Punnaiah delivered a crucial double blow, removing Arfaz Ahmed (7 off 3) and Aniketh Reddy off successive deliveries to leave the Knights reeling.
Divesh continued to attack while keeping the scoreboard moving, but Cariappa claimed his third wicket of the innings to dismiss him for 48 off 27 balls, just short of a well-deserved half-century.
At 150/8, the Knights were in trouble, but district player Harshwardhan Singh produced a superb late cameo. His unbeaten 40 off just 20 balls, featuring five fours and a six, lifted the Knights to a competitive 189/8.
In response, 2024 ICC Under-19 World Cup runner-up Avanish Rao (22 off 6) got the chase off to a flying start, smashing a flurry of sixes and taking 22 runs off Rakshann Readdi. However, his stay was short-lived as Nishanth Saranu dismissed him in the second over.
Things soon got worse for the Risers as the reigning Under-19 World Cup winner Aaron George (7 off 7) holed out to Nitish off Aniketh Reddy. Alankrith Rapole (11 off 9) and Nanavath Rakesh (5 off 8) also fell in quick succession, leaving the Risers struggling at 60/4 after seven overs.
With the chase in danger of derailing, Tanay and Aditya Javvaji (41 off 32) steadied the innings brilliantly. The pair added 75 runs, mixing timely boundaries with smart strike rotation to keep the required rate in check.
Tanay brought up a half-century off just 23 balls, but the partnership was eventually broken when Varun Goud dismissed Javvaji, taking a return catch off his own bowling.
Any hopes of a comeback were quickly extinguished as Nitin Yadav walked in and blasted an unbeaten 26 off just nine deliveries. Combined with Tanay’s match-winning and unbeaten 71 off 30 balls, featuring seven fours and five sixes, the Risers raced to victory with 21 balls to spare.
Brief Scores:
Ranga Reddy Risers beat Anurag Nalgonda Knights by 5 wickets.
Anurag Nalgonda Knights 189/8 in 20 overs (Divesh Singh 48, Harshwardhan Singh 40, B Punnaiah 3 for 42)
Ranga Reddy Risers 190/5 in 16.3 overs (Tanay Thyagarajan 71, Aditya Javvaji 41, Nitin Yadav 26, Aniketh Reddy 2/29)
Player of the match: Tanay Thyagarajan
