HT vs SL | Twitter in awe as Mohammed Taha's century headlines Hubli Tigers’ convincing win

‌Opener Mohammed Taha helped the Hubli Tigers to start their Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 2025 campaign with a 29-run win over Shivamogga Lions in Mysore on Tuesday. Taha top-scored in the contest with 101 runs from 53 balls to power the Tigers to a formidable 216/4 in their 20 overs. Middle-order batter Aniruddha Joshi’s unbeaten half-century went in vain as the Lions could manage only 187/6 in the chase.

After being put into bat first at the Srikantadatta Narasimha Raja Wadeyar Ground, Tigers’ opener Taha smashed 10 fours and six sixes to complete his century, off 51 balls. His second-wicket partnership of 100 with skipper Devdutt Padikkal set the tone for the Tigers to post a huge score on the board. Padikkal hit eight fours and a six during his knock of 52 from 32 balls, while entertaining cameos from Krishnan Shrijith (27) and Abhinav Manohar (13) helped the side sail past the 200-run mark. Pacer Vidhwath Kaverappa was the Lions’ most successful bowler with figures of 2/39 in four overs.

In reply, the Lions got off on the wrong foot as they slid to 47/4 within the eighth over, with opener Dhruv Prabhakar (30) being the only batter to manage double digits among the top four batters. Aneeshwar Gautham (32) and Aniruddha rebuilt the Lions’ innings with a 56-run stand for the fifth wicket. The latter smashed nine sixes and three fours to remain unbeaten on 79 off 42 balls, while Avinash D recorded a cameo of 22 from 16 balls. Their partnership of 77 runs took the side close, but the initial damage meant the side could not even go past 200. Mystery spinner KC Cariappa took 2/28 in four overs, with Nishchith Pai also chipping in with two wickets.

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