LLC 2022, Match 10 Review: Hamilton Masakadza helps India Capitals outmuscle Manipal Tigers

The tenth league match of the Legends League Cricket 2022 between India Capitals and Manipal Tigers at the Barabati Stadium turned out to be a one-sided affair as the India Capitals solidified their place at the top of the points table with a comprehensive seven-wicket win. Gautam Gambhir's side chased down the target of 162 runs with utter ease to hand Manipal Tigers their third defeat of the tournament.

Gambhir won the toss and invited the Tigers to bat first on a belter of a pitch. The tigers made a decent start to their innings before Tatenda Taibu fell in the penultimate over of the powerplay. Taibu's dismissal brought in the veteran Mohammad Kaif at the crease, who stitched a sensational 136-run stand for the second wicket with Jesse Ryder.

The duo registered their respective half centuries, setting up a perfect platform for the middle-order batters, who collapsed like a deck of cards. Despite that mammoth partnership, Manipal Tigers could only register an under-par score of 161 runs in their 20 overs. Liam Plunkett was the star with the ball for India Capital, grabbing the two crucial wickets of Kaif and Ryder in the same over.

Hamilton Masakadza punished the bowlers during his blistering half-century

Chasing an average total on the surface, Gambhir's men started like a house on fire, before the skipper departed in the third over. His opening partner Solomon Mire followed suit in the final over the powerplay. The Tigers were smelling an unlikely victory at that point. But their hopes were dashed by brutal innings from the Zimbabwean Hamilton Masakadza, who registered 68 runs off just 39 deliveries. 

He received valiant support from the recently retired Ross Taylor. The Kiwi along with Masakadza brought the Capitals to the cusp of victory with their 86-run partnership for the third wicket. Harbhajan Singh's bowlers looked powerless against the batters, and Ashley Nurse put them out of their misery with a blistering cameo of 21 runs off just 11 deliveries as Capitals got home in a canter with seven wickets and 16 deliveries to spare.

India Capitals have now managed three wins in the tournament, more than any another side, and sit pretty at the top of the table.