Sports Tak Gladiators emerged victoriously in the T10 Corporate Cup Season 2 which was played at Pusher Den, Gurugram. In the final, hard-hitting from Vikrant Gupta-led Gladiators blew away Magicbricks to lift the trophy with a comfortable 46-run win.
Magicbricks won the toss and opted to field first in the final. The decision seemed to work in the first half of the innings in a high-pressure final. Ferocious hitter Tanuj Panwar got out after scoring just 12 runs from 10 balls whereas skipper Vikrant and Kashif returned to the pavillion for single-digit scores.
After five overs, Gladiators were 43/3 which is considered below par in a T10 game. But, such is the nature of the fast-paced format. Opener Gourav Kumar broke free and wicketkeeper-batter Vansh Bedi joined him. Gourav missed his half-century by just two runs. He scored 48 runs from 22 deliveries including four fours and as many sixes. He shared a 58-run partnership for the fourth wicket off just 15 deliveries.
In the slog overs, Wasim Ahmed had the best seat in the house as Bedi broke free and hit phenomenal cricketing shots to bring Magicbricks to their knees. The young batter scored 51 runs from just 13 deliveries including four fours and five sixes. His carnage-filled knock helped Gladiators post 142/4.
In the final encounter, there wasn't much Magicbricks openers could do as they were kept relatively quiet. Panwar bowled well and picked up two wickets. At the end, they could post 96/3, losing the match by a massive margin of 46 runs as per T10 standards.
Earlier, the Gladiators played the final before the final in the semi-final clash against Bacardi. It was a batting masterclass from opener Panwar that left Bacardi clueless. It is to be noted that Bacardi had a net run rate (NRR) over 10 in the group stages which is exceptional in any format. Panwar smashed Bacardi bowlers to the distant parts of the ground and beyond. He smashed 94 runs from 31 deliveries in his 42-minute stay at the crease. His monstrous knock was laced with seven fours and 10 sixes. It helped Gladiators post 163/4.
Bacardi batters did not surrender right away and were in the game almost till the end. Their opener Priyank Sehrawat scored 77 runs from 37 deliveries but it was not enough to get his team over the line. In the end, Bacardi posted 141/2 on the board and lost the semi-final by 22 runs.
