Chinmay Sutar rediscovered his touch just when defending champion MSC Maratha Royals needed it the most, guiding his side into a second successive T20 Mumbai League final with a nervy victory over North Mumbai Panthers at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.
The Orange Cap winner from the Royals’ triumphant 2025 campaign had endured a relatively subdued season by his lofty standards. But in a high-pressure semifinal on a sluggish, turning surface, Sutar once again emerged as the difference-maker. His unbeaten 62 (49b, 5×4, 1×6) anchored Royals’ chase of 149 and sealed a place in Saturday’s final, where Siddhesh Lad’s men will face Shivam Dube-led ARCS Andheri.
The chase, however, was anything but straightforward. Panthers’ spearhead Mohit Avasthi struck twice in the opening over to leave Royals reeling early. While Ayaz Khan carried forward the confidence from his match-winning effort a night earlier and dominated the Powerplay, Sutar preferred to settle in before gradually taking control of the innings.
When Ayaz departed and Lad paid the price for dragging a Pravesh Pal long-hop back onto his stumps, the responsibility of seeing the chase through rested squarely on Sutar’s shoulders. He responded with maturity. Picking his moments carefully, Sutar kept the scoreboard moving through deft placement before taking calculated risks against the Panthers’ spin options, particularly left-arm spinner Vaibhav Mali. As wickets fell around him, he remained composed enough to steer Royals across the finish line.
Besides Avasthi, Panthers found inspiration in Pratik Mishra’s resilience. Introduced as an Impact Player, the young pacer returned to bowl despite injuring his left cheekbone after a throw from the deep struck him just below the eye. His spirited effort kept the contest alive deep into the chase, but ultimately proved insufficient.
Earlier in the day, ARCS Andheri stormed into the final after overpowering Aakash Tigers Mumbai Western Suburbs in the first semifinal. Captain Dube led from the front with a finisher’s masterclass, his unbeaten 45 (26b, 1×4, 5×6) rescuing Andheri from a precarious position before ensuring a comfortable passage into the title clash.
BRIEF SCORES
North Mumbai Panthers 148 all out in 20 overs (Anish Chaudhery 33, Abhigyan Kundu 40, Atharva Bhosale 2/40, Aditya Dhumal 2/28, Tushar Deshpande 4/21) MSC Maratha Royals 152/7 in 19.5 overs (Ayaz Khan 32, Chinmay Sutar 62 no, Mohit Avasthi 3/35, Pravesh Pal 3/27).
Aakash Tigers MWS 150/7 in 20 overs (Jay Bista 35, Sarfaraz Khan 34, Ashutosh Ghagre 2/21) lost to ARCS Andheri 151/5 in 18.3 overs (Divyaansh Saxena 34, Shivam Dube 45 no, Shams Mulani 2/23, Ajit Yadav 2/23).
Published on Jun 11, 2026
