MPL 2025, 5th Match Review: Pore's fiery spell and Bawne's calm knock guide Kolhapur Tuskers to victory

Kolhapur Tuskers began their Maharashtra Premier League (MPL) 2025 campaign on a high note by defeating Ratnagiri Jets by seven wickets in their season opener on June 7. Ratnagiri Jets suffered their third consecutive defeat in the tournament.

Kolhapur Tuskers won the toss and elected to field first and got off to a dream start, with a fiery opening spell from left-arm pacer Atman Pore. Pore picked up two wickets in his first two overs, and tightened the Ratnagiri Jets to 4 for 3.

Ratnagiri Jets skipper Azim Kazi then steadied the innings while forming a vital 91-run partnership off 50 balls with Divyang Hinganekar for the fourth wicket. Hinganekar smashed 58 runs off 26 deliveries which included six sixes, before falling to Shreyas Chavan.

Nikhil Naik added late momentum to the innings by putting together two quick partnerships with Kazi initially and then with Sahil Churi to help the defending champions to a respectable total of 173. Naik scored a quickfire 40* off 28 balls, while Kazi contributed 47 from 38 deliveries. For Kolhapur Tuskers, Pore returned with figures of 3 for 29 in his four-over spell, while Chavan chipped in with two wickets.

In the chase, the Kolhapur Tuskers were anchored by their top order. The openers Ankit Bawne and skipper Rahul Tripathi laid a strong foundation with a 53-run stand. Tripathi fell for a quick-fire 32 off 18 balls, but Bawne continued to build momentum alongside Sachin Dhas. The duo added 69 runs for the second wicket before Dhas departed for 35, falling to Hinganekar.

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Bawne followed soon after, having scored a composed 51, but Siddharth Mhatre took charge in the latter part of the chase. His explosive 35* off just 14 deliveries sealed the victory for Kolhapur Tuskers with eight balls to spare. Hinganekar picked up two wickets in his four-over spell.

In the end, Ratnagiri Jets remained in fifth position after their third loss in MPL 2025, and Kolhapur Tuskers stood at fourth in the points table.