Hawks emerge Chandrashekhar Azad trophy champs with comeback victory

The HIIMS Hawks pulled off a stunning comeback to lift the Chandrashekhar Azad T20 Tournament, at Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Sector 3, Panchkula. They handed Wild Woods Warriors a 17-run defeat in the summit clash and successfully defended their modest total of 183.

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The Warriors were comfortably placed at 131/1 in 13th over, but an exceptional spell from Hawks saw the last eight wickets being picked up for just 29 runs.

Earlier, Warriors had opted to field first looking to capitalise on early breakthroughs. The Hawks posted 183/8 in their 20 overs, powered by a solid 58 off 52 balls from Shivam Bhambri and an 42 off 22 by Nehal Pajni. Contributions from Nikhil Sharma (27 off 16 balls) and Jashanjot (20 off 7 balls) ensured a competitive target.

Sahil Kumar (2/29) and Raman Bishnoi (2/45), meanwhile, shared four wickets for the bowling side.

In reply, the Warriors looked on course for a comfortable win with maintaining a healthy run rate of over 10 early in the contest.

Tushar Joshi (64 off 36) and Aarush Bhandari (37 off 26) scored big for the side but the game took a dramatic turn steered by the Hawks bowlers.

Rahul Singh (3/25) led the charge with a match-winning spell, while Ritik Sandhu (2/18) and Gaurav Gambhir (1/27) also provided crucial breakthroughs.

A series of quick dismissals derailed the Warriors’ chase, restricting them to 166/9 at the end of their innings.

Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatraya awarded the winners along with Haryana assembly former speaker Gain Chand Gupta, former international cricketer Ashok Malhotra, UTCA president Sanjay Tandon and tournament chairperson Rupesh Singh.