In the 15th match of the GMR Andhra Premier League (APL) 2025 played at the ACA VDCA International Cricket Stadium on Saturday, August 16, Tungabhadra Warriors bagged a comprehensive 10-wicket win against Kakinada Kings. In a rain-curtailed seven overs-a-side contest, CH Stephen became the player of the match for his disciplined bowling. In his two-over spell, he registered 2/12 figures, which laid the foundation stone of Tungabhadra’s triumph.
Earlier, at the toss, Tungabhadra captain K Maheep Kumar emerged victorious and elected to bowl first. Kakinada lost their three batters at a score of eight in two overs and saw themselves under immense trouble. Their top-order batters including captain KS Bharat, A Surya, and P Arjun Tendulkar departed on single-digit scores. CH Stephen got rid of KS Bharat and A Surya while Saurabh Kumar picked up the crucial scalp of Tendulkar.
After 4.3 overs of the match, heavy rain stopped play in Visakhapatnam. The game resumed almost after a couple of hours, and it was curtailed to seven overs-per-side. After the resumption of the contest, Kings failed to handle the pressure and their batters weren’t effective. KP Rahul could amass only four runs from his bat after consuming 13 balls while P Tapaswi and Lekhaz Reddy got dismissed without scoring any runs.
Riding on Golamaru Manish’s 14 off 10, Kakinada put up a total of 37/7 in their seven overs. CH Stephen and M. Toshith Yadav got two wickets apiece while Saurabh, KV Sasikanth, and M Deepak also got one wicket respectively.
Chasing 37-run target on DLS method, Warriors opener DB Prashanth looked relentless against the bowlers and helped his team chase down the total in just 13 balls. Prashanth played seven deliveries and smashed 25 runs with four boundaries (one fours and three maximums).
His opening partner CR Gnaneshwar also scored a swift 15 off just six balls. Gnaneshwar hit two fours and a six in his knock. Kings’ pacer SK Kamaruddin bowled one over and got hammered for 19 runs. Prashanth collected 19 runs from his over in which 16 came from three boundaries (two sixes and a four).
K Sudharsan, who opened bowling for Kakinada, also got thrashed for 15 runs in his only over. He became the victim of Gnaneshwar, who racked up three boundaries (two fours and a six) against him. Prashanth concluded the game in style with his six against M Anjaneyulu, who bowled the first and only delivery in the match.
Due to this emphatic win, Tungabhadra are now in second place on the GMR APL 2025 points table with three wins and two losses while Kakinada, following their crushing defeat, are at the bottom of the tally with just one victory and three losses. Kakinada’s next assignment is against Royals of Rayalaseema on August 17 while Tungabhadra will next take on Vijayawada Sun Shiners on August 18.