Suresh Raina. (Photo Source: Fancode)
After the completion of Legends League Cricket Masters (LLC Masters), former India all-rounder Suresh Raina joined the Indore Knights squad to participate in the ongoing Legends Cricket Trophy. Notably, in his very first match, the 36-year-old wreaked havoc, scoring 90* runs off just 45 deliveries against Nagpur Ninjas.
Batting at number three, Raina started to explode right from the start, and along with Phil Mustard (53 runs off 39 deliveries), he build a solid partnership of 114 runs, courtesy of which the Knights posted 209 runs on board after 20 overs. Raina in his innings looked flawless, as the southpaw smashed 10 fours and four sixes during his stay at the crease.
On the other hand, the Nagpur Ninja bowlers looked clueless in the middle as none of their plans against Raina worked on Wednesday, March 22 at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Ghaziabad.
Indore Knights defeated Nagpur Ninjas by 11 runs
Now, chasing a massive total of 210 runs, Nagpur had a very poor start as both openers, Richard Levi (13 off 7) and Virender Singh (15 off 12 ) were dismissed in the powerplay itself. However, Satnam Singh tried to bring the situation under his control, scoring 32 runs off just 16 deliveries but that wasn’t enough.
Meanwhile, 33-year-old Kuldeep Hooda stepped up and played a blistering knock of 77 runs off 42 deliveries to stabilize the situation. He completely changed the complexion of the game but as soon as he got out, the Ninjas once again suffered to get going. Notably, Hooda also picked up four wickets with the ball and thus, was sensational on the night but he couldn’t help his team get over the line.
After he got out, Prince tried his best to help his team win the match but in the end, they were 11 runs short. With that, the Harbhajan Singh-led side suffered their first defeat of the season but there’s still a long way to go for the franchise to make a comeback.
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