In the match 18th of the GMR Andhra Premier League (APL) 2025, played at the ACA VDCA International Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam, Tungabhadra Warriors defeated Vijayawada Sun Shiners by four wickets, to confirm their spot in the top two of the points table alongside Capital Amaravathi Royals. After restricting Sun Shiners to a 161-run total, Warriors managed to chase down the runs with an over to spare, thanks to the late flurry of sixes from Kancherla Anand Josiah, for which he was given the player of the match award.
Earlier, the captain of Tungabhadra Warriors, K Maheep Kumar, won the toss and decided to bowl first in overcast conditions with threat of rain in and around the venue. With the bat in hand, the openers of Vijayawada Sun Shiners, Munnangi Abhinav and K Ashwin Hebbar, provided an exceptional start to the team, sharing a stand of 82 runs in 9.3 overs before Saurabh Kumar got the first wicket of the afternoon for Warriors.
Ashwin Hebbar was dismissed for a well-made 33 off 25 with three fours and two sixes, and shortly after, Munnangi Abhinav, who had batted quite brilliantly for his fifty, perished to GDS Suresh Kumar Razole after scoring 51 off 35 with six fours and two sixes. It led to the wickets falling consistently in the Tungabhadra innings, which was held together by number three M Vamsi Krishna with his 30 off 25 with three fours and sixes until his dismissal in the 19th over on the bowling of KV Sasikanth.
At the other end, Mycherla Dheeraj Kumar, in at number six, played a blinder, scoring 27 off just 16 with two fours and two sixes, to help Vijayawada Sun Shiners put up a decent total of 161/7 on the board to defend on a pitch assisting the spinners despite the weather being overcast and light drizzle falling consistently. For Tungabhadra Warriors, Saurabh Kumar bowled economically with figures of 1/17 in his four-over spell apart from KV Sasikanth taking three wickets despite going at over 10 runs per over, while CH Stephen got two wickets as well.
In pursuit of the 162-run target, Warriors lost the wicket of CR Gnaneshwar early for 2 off 8 with Y Vasu getting him caught and bowled, to find themselves in early strife. After that, DB Prashanth and captain K Maheep Kumar got stuck amidst some impressive display of bowling from Sun Shiners, especially their spin bowlers, managing to score 45 runs in nine overs before the former lost his wicket to Y Prithvi Raj for 30 off 26 with two fours and two sixes to his name.
While Maheep Kumar’s struggles continued at one end, Saurabh Kumar provided some much needed impetus to the Tungabhadra Warriors innings at the other end, scoring a fiery 18 off 8 with one four and two sixes before P Adithya Reddy managed to not only send him back to the pavilion, but also get the better of Gutta Rohit cheaply just minutes later. Maheep Kumar ultimately lost his wicket to Prithvi Raj in his attempt to hit a boundary after scoring just 36 runs in 40 balls with two fours and a six.
Kancherla Anand Josiah, who had made his arrival at the crease as a number six batter, smashed a couple of sixes in the presence of Warriors captain before taking control of his team’s innings. He scored an unbeaten 42 off 16 with one four and five sixes to put Tungabhadra on the brink of a win, and then, KV Sasikanth hit three sixes in a row off Prithvi Raj in the penultimate over prior to losing his wicket to him before MK Datta Reddy hit the match-winning six.
With this key win, Tungabhadra Warriors finished up the group stage of the GMR APL 2025 with eight points in six matches on the points table, which included four wins, to secure a spot in the top two while Vijayawada Sun Shiners have five points to their name in five matches. Moreover, in their sixth and final match of the group stage, Sun Shiners will take on Capital Amaravathi Royals on Tuesday, August 19, in which they will be aiming to register a victory, to secure a spot in the top four of the tournament.