Shreyas Iyer prolonged his stint with SoBo Mumbai Falcons by another game in an attempt to secure a T20 Mumbai semifinal berth for his team with a match to spare. Instead, it was Sarfaraz Khan-led Aakash Tigers Mumbai Western Suburbs that strengthened its knockout credentials with a commanding 64-run victory at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday.
The comprehensive win in its final league fixture propelled Tigers to third place on the points table with an impressive net run rate of 0.520. Falcons, meanwhile, was pushed into a must-win situation on the final day of the league phase and will also need other results to fall in its favour.
On a surface offering assistance to the spinners, Tigers produced a batting effort of substance and aggression to post a daunting 227 for six. Captain Sarfaraz set the tone with a whirlwind 31 (10b, 6×4, 1×6), combining with the bespectacled Jay Bista (57, 27b, 8×4, 2×6) for an entertaining opening salvo. The partnership ensured Tigers raced to 68 by the time Sarfaraz fell off the final delivery of the fourth over.
Ajit Yadav then took over the mantle, using his reach and power to devastating effect during his 68 (35b, 5×4, 4×6), pushing the target well beyond par.
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Falcons needed a flying start and briefly found one through Ishan Mulchandani, whose 40 (15b, 1×4, 5×6) mirrored Sarfaraz’s fearless approach at the top.
But Shashank Attarde turned the game decisively. The seasoned off-spinner first lured Mulchandani into a false stroke during the Powerplay. When Shreyas entered at No. 5 as an Impact Player, he immediately announced himself by launching Attarde over midwicket for six. The off-spinner, however, responded brilliantly. Bowling the next delivery quicker and straighter, he cramped Shreyas for room, forcing a mistimed shot that was comfortably taken at deep midwicket.
That dismissal effectively sealed the contest.
Attarde finished with figures of four for 33 as Falcons was bundled out for 161 in the 18th over, leaving Tigers to spend the next 24 hours hoping results elsewhere confirm its place in the semifinals.
The scores:
Aakash Tigers MWS 227/6 in 20 overs (Jay Bista 57, Sarfaraz Khan 31, Varun Lavande 35, Ajit Yadav 68, Prathamesh Dake 2/51) bt SoBo Mumbai Falcons 161 all out in 17.5 overs (Ishan Mulchandani 40, Harsh Aghav 43, Shams Mulani 3/47, Ankur Singh 2/26, Shashank Attarde 4/33).
Bandra Blasters 144/9 in 20 overs (Om Keshkamat 49, Sagarr Chhabriaa 44, Arjun Tendulkar 3/11, Prasoon Singh 2/12) lost to ARCS Andheri 148/1 in 13.5 overs (Musheer Khan 54 n.o., Arjun Tendulkar 66 n.o.).
Women:
Thane Sky Risers 159/7 in 20 overs (Mansi Patil 55, Heeya Pandit 36, Swara Jadhav 2/22) bt SoBo Mumbai Falcons 126/9 in 20 overs (Ashwini Nishad 2/8, Prakashika Naik 3/25, Trisha Parmar 2/17).
Published on Jun 09, 2026
