The 13th match of the GMR Andhra Premier League (APL) 2025 at the ACA VDCA International Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Friday, August 15, witnessed a superb performance from Tungabhadra Warriors, who defeated Bhimavaram Bulls by 13 runs. Saurabh Kumar became the player of the match (POTM) for his impactful bowling. In his four-over spell, he bagged 4/7 figures and played a vital role in Tungabhadra’s triumph.
Earlier, Bhimavaram Bulls captain M Hemanth Reddy won the toss and elected to bowl first. Warriors opening pair CR Gnaneshwar and DB Prashanth strove to deliver a perfect start to their team, but the former lost his battle to Satynarayana Raju, who got the right-handed batter caught at the hands of P Tejaswi in the fifth over of the contest.
Prashanth stood at the crease until the 12th over and accumulated 40 off 31. His innings included five boundaries (three fours and two maximums). Captain K Maheep Kumar chipped in with his 41 off 25 while MK Datta Reddy departed after scoring only five off three. KV Sasikanth and Gutta Rohit went back to the dugout after producing the innings of 13 (11) and 24 (20) respectively.
After batting for 18 overs, with the two overs getting cut due to weather, Tungabhadra Warriors posted a decent total of 151/6. Raju emerged as the most successful bowler for Bulls, splurging only 15 runs in his four overs to take two wickets. CH Silva, P Tejaswi, and off-spinner Nimmala Himakar also scalped one wicket apiece.
Chasing the 152-run target, Bhimavaram Bulls found themselves in immense trouble as they struggled to counter the challenge thrown by Saurabh Kumar and Sasikanth. In the second over, Saurabh cleaned up K Revanth Reddy and delivered a magnificent start to his side. The next over saw Sasikanth getting the better of Himakar. Both Bhimavaram openers returned to the pavilion with single-digit scores.
Skipper Hemanth was expected to hold his nerve in the crunch situation and produce a responsible knock, but he also looked nervous and lost his wicket to Sasikanth in the fifth over. The 22-year-old amassed only six off 12. Saurabh struck against Bhimavaram again in the sixth over. This time, Muvvala Yuvan and Surya Teja became the speedster’s victims.
After six overs, Bulls were reeling at a total of 22/5 with no respite in sight. In the eighth over, Saurabh got the key scalp of B Munis Varma, who couldn’t notch up any runs after consuming five balls, leaving his team down and out at 28/6. Following that, TV Sai Sravan and Bendalam Stavik played courageous innings of 76* (41) and 43 (26) respectively in a massive partnership of 94 runs for the seventh wicket, but it wasn’t enough for Bulls to evade the loss. In the end, Bhimavaram could put up only 138/8 on the board in 18 overs, falling well short of the target.
Both Bhimavaram Bulls and Tungabhadra Warriors have played four games each in the GMR APL 2025. But, on the points tally, Warriors are now in third place with two wins and two losses while Bulls are in fourth spot with three points. Following this vital win, Tungabhadra will take on Kakinada Kings on August 16. On the other hand, Bhimavaram will look to make a comeback with a win against Simhadri Vizag Lions on August 17.