Indore, Madhya Pradesh, June 3: The Aditya Birla Group Madhya Pradesh League (MPL) T20 Scindia Cup 2026 got off to a thrilling start as Ujjain Falcons and Gwalior Cheetahs produced an entertaining opening match of the season before the Falcons eventually registered a comprehensive win by 92 runs.
Fresh from his impressive performances in the recently concluded IPL, Madhav Tiwari stole the spotlight with a sensational unbeaten 62 off just 31 balls, smashing five sixes and four boundaries and later picked up a couple of wickets as well.
Talking about his performance and the side’s win, the young all-rounder explained how the first win was crucial for the new entrants to get momentum.
“It’s a great feeling to start the season with a win. I’m happy that I could contribute with both bat and ball and help the team. When I went in to bat, the idea was to keep the momentum going and finish strongly. Getting a wicket in my very first over was an added bonus and helped put us in a strong position. Overall, it was a good team performance and a positive way to begin the tournament,” he said.
After winning the toss, Gwalior Cheetahs chose to bowl first. Ujjain Falcons made a strong start as captain Chanchal Rathore and Yash Dubey added 53 runs for the opening wicket in just five overs. Rathore played an aggressive knock of 33 from 17 balls before being trapped LBW by Saumy Pandey.
Dubey then joined hands with Ojaswa Yadav, and the pair added another 51 runs for the second wicket. Gwalior fought back by dismissing both batters in quick succession. Dubey scored 37 off 26 balls, while Yadav contributed 31 from 23 deliveries.
The final overs belonged to Madhav Tiwari, who produced a brilliant batting display to power Ujjain Falcons to a massive total of 221/6 in 20 overs. He was well supported by Aryan Pandey, who chipped in with a quick 19 off just seven balls lower down the order.
In reply, Gwalior Cheetahs got off to a poor start as Kuldeep Gehi was bowled by Madhav Tiwari for 9 off 6 balls. The Falcons struck again soon after when Kartik Parihar was caught by Rishi Miglani off Gajendra Goswami after scoring 9 off just 4 deliveries.
Parth Chaudhary tried to keep the Cheetahs in the chase with a quickfire 46 off 18 balls, smashing three fours and five sixes. However, his dismissal proved to be a turning point as Aayush Mankar cleaned him up before going on to remove Arpit Patel and Vikas Sharma.
The biggest breakthrough came when Rishi Miglani trapped Gwalior Cheetahs captain Rajat Patidar in front for just 11 runs off 8 balls, putting Ujjain Falcons firmly in control of the contest.
The Cheetahs failed to recover from the early blows, losing wickets at regular intervals before eventually falling well short of the Falcons’ imposing total as they were bowled out for 129.
The Malwa Stallions will lock horns with Chambal Ghariyals while Bhopal Leopards will play Indore Pink Panthers on June 4 at Holkar Stadium in the men’s competition.
The women’s tournament is also scheduled to begin on June 4 with Chambal Ghariyals taking on Gwalior Shernis in the first match followed by the clash between Bhopal Wolves and Bundelkhand Bulls at Daly College.
