Fielding first after winning the toss, Mumbai restricted Kolkata to 44/9, before overhauling the modest target quite easily with 3.2 overs to spare. Mumbai thus maintained their all-win record, having registered victories in all the six matches they have played so far.

The Mumbai innings was off to a shaky start as opener Mohammed Nadeem was sent back to the dugout with only five runs on the board. However, Rajat Mundhe – the other opener – anchored the Mumbai chase with a steady 18 runs off 15 deliveries. His calculative knock helped Mumbai bring the innings back on track and the other Mumbai batters did well to finish off the job.

Earlier, the Kolkata innings was off to a steady, albeit sluggish start. They suffered their first blow early on when Mumbai pacer Ankur Singh dismissed their opener Hardeep Singh. Moyoddin Alimuddin Shaikh joined Sarfraz Khan in the middle and the duo tried to steady the ship for Kolkata before Ankur struck again to remove the former.

The seventh over – which was a 50-50 over – turned out to be disastrous for Kolkata as they lost three wickets.

Prathamesh Thakre was the first to be dismissed. The right-hander had stepped too much towards the off-stump in an attempt to hit over the top, but Mumbai pacer Vijay Pawle uprooted the leg with an accurate full-length inswinger.

Bhavesh Pawar was run out just a ball later thanks to a horrendous mix-up before Pawle struck again to dismiss Fardeen Kazi. That knocked the wind out of the Kolkata innings as the Mumbai attack continued to pick up wickets at regular intervals.

Abhishek Kumar Dalhor was the most successful among the Mumbai bowlers with figures of 3/8.

In the other match of the evening, Srinagar ke Veer will take on KVN Bangalore Strikers. All matches are LIVE on Star Sports 1 (TV) and Disney+ Hotstar (OTT).

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Continuing his glorious run of form in the tournament, Ali plundered 51 runs off 25 balls with five hits to the fence and three towering sixes studding his unbeaten knock as Srinagar overhauled the challenging target of 88 runs with two deliveries to spare. With that knock, Ali also became the first batter in ISPL to record two consecutive fifties.

Put in to bat, Kolkata were off to a steady start with openers Moyoddin Shaikh and Fardeen Kazi scoring at a steady pace. Srinagar finally achieved a breakthrough when Kazi perished while going for a bit hit off the bowling of Prajyot Ambhire.

Shaikh anchored the Kolkata innings, emerging as the top scorer with a run-a-ball 23 before being sent back to the pavilion by Firoz Shaikh. However, Bhavesh Pawar, who smashed 17 runs off six balls with one boundary and two sixes, ensured that the runs kept coming at a fast clip alongside Subhajit Jana Dhoni, who stayed unbeaten on 10.

Chasing the challenging target, Srinagar were off to a flying start with Sagar Ali plundering 13 runs in the opening over, which yielded a total of 18 runs.

Kolkata had a glimpse of of hope when Mangesh Vaity, Akash Tarekar and Shahbaz Ahmad went back to the dugout in quick succession. However, Ali and Sanskar Dhyani ensured that Srinagar regained the upper hand with their big-hitting ability.

KVN Bangalore Strikers are playing against Majhi Mumbai in the other match later today. All matches are LIVE on Star Sports 1 (TV) and Disney+ Hotstar (OTT).

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In a showdown between the finalists of the inaugural season, Majhi Mumbai came up with a disciplined show with the ball to first restrict Tiigers of Kolkata for 68/8 before getting over the line with a couple of overs to spare.

Electing to bowl, the Mumbai outfit put up with a disciplined effort, with Ankur Singh triggering a top order collapse to dismiss Fardeen Kazi, Thomas Dias and Navaz Khan and reduce Kolkata to 22/3, before Rajendra Singh rocked the opposition with two more wickets.

The Mumbai bowlers took full advantage of the Tape Ball overs (3rd and 5th), with Rajat Mundhe leaking just five runs from his two overs. With pressure mounting on Kolkata, the men in Red & Green opted to take the 50-50 over on the 7th over, but in an anti-climax, they lost two wickets, including skipper Moyoddin Alimuddin Shaikh (15), and eventually got only a single after managing three runs from it. Towards the end, Sarfaraz Khan (11) and Bhavesh Pawar (16) hit a couple of lusty blows to propel Kolkata to 68 even as the batting side lost three wickets on the final over of their innings.

In response, Majhi Mumbai lost opener Mohammed Nadeem on the third ball of the first over, but Rajat Mundhe and Karan More (26 not) stabilised the innings, and more importantly survived the Tape Ball over (3rd) from Vivek Mohanan. During the strategic time-out, Mumbai, comfortably placed at 31/1, picked the 8th over for the 50-50 challenge.

After the breather, Rajat picked Shivam Kumar for a boundary but perished the next ball, leaving the job for Karan and new man Amit Naik (21 not out). With Mumbai needing 22 off 18 at the start of the 50-50 over, Karan deposited Imroz Khan for a couple of boundaries off the first two deliveries, before Amit took the bowler to the cleaners twice consecutively to help his side romp home by 8 wickets.

Earlier, the grand opening ceremony of ISPL Season 2 witnessed a laughter riot as popular comedy artists Krushna and Kiku brought the house down in their iconic roles of Pushpa and Srivalli. Their hilarious act set the perfect tone for an exciting season ahead. Bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez added glamour to the opening ceremony with her sizzling performance.

The crowd at the Dadoji Kondadev Stadium reserved louder cheers for legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar, who made his way into the ground amid a thunderous applause, to wish the players.

“Be fearless but don’t be careless,” came Sachin’s message for the players.

Highlighting on the changes this season, Tendulkar, who also is one of the ISPL core committee members, said, “This season ISPL & SG co-created the reverse swing ball, which will make life a little difficult for the batters. With that, strategy will come into play. All the teams have got a fair idea about the usage of the tape ball during training sessions in the build-up to the tournament.

During the opening ceremony, Sachin, along with the other members of the core committee Ashish Shelar, Minal Amol Kale, Suraj Samat, also paid tributes to former Mumbai Cricket Association president, who passed away last year. The core committee also presented a cheque worth Rs 3 lakh as part of Children Education Scholarship to Muktangan Foundation.

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