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Ambati Rayudu grabbed a last-ball stunner in the Legends League Cricket 2024 opener. In the first match of the LLC 2024, Konark Suryas Odisha clashed against Manipal Tigers on September 20 at the Barkatullah Khan Stadium in Jodhpur. The match saw Konark Suryas Odisha registering a two-run victory over their counterparts and kicking off their season on high note. Earlier in the match, Manipal Tigers’ captain Harbhajan Singh won the toss and invited the rivals to bat first.
Suryas found themselves in trouble when they lost three wickets inside the powerplay overs. They kept struggling for runs and skipper Irfan Pathan remained highest scorer with 18 runs. Obus Pienaar and Anureet Singh picked two wickets each and restricted their rivals to 104/9. In return, the Tigers were reduced to 21/5 in the ninth over, thanks to Suryas’ bowling.
Ambati Rayudu takes last-ball catch to help Konark Suryas register 2-run win
The biggest moment of the match came on the last ball of the match when Ambati Rayudu grabbed a stunning catch. He dismissed Obus Pienaar off an Irfan Pathan delivery. Had he dropped the catch, the match would have either gone into a super-over or would have granted Manipal Tigers win. After the match, Suryas captain Irfan Pathan said that it has been difficult to get back into rhythm as cricket is now a part-time thing for them.
He said, "I told the boys that it was a slow pitch and it was important for us to pick up early wickets. Shahbaz started well and the fast bowlers were really good. Dilshan did well with his three overs too. We made a vital change in the final ball of the innings and it allowed us to win the game. I was trying to bowl my variations and it's not easy. We're now part time cricketers and it's hard to get back into rhythm. It was a great game in the end."
