Legend 90 League: Tomar's all-round heroics help Rajasthan Kings beat Big Boys Unikari

Raipur (Chhattisgarh), Feb 12: Rajasthan Kings put up a dominant all-round performance to claim a convincing 39-run victory over Big Boys Unikari in the 12th match of the Legend 90 League at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium here on Wednesday. The win propelled them to second place in the points table, strengthening their campaign.

Led by skipper Faiz Fazal and all-rounder Gaurav Tomar, Rajasthan Kings delivered a commanding display in both batting and bowling to hand Big Boys Unikari their fourth consecutive defeat of the season.

Batting first, Rajasthan Kings got off to a solid start with openers Phil Mustard (38) and Asad Pathan (22) stitching together a quickfire 55-run partnership. Their aggressive intent put the opposition on the back foot early.

After the openers' departure, Gaurav Tomar (43 off 21 balls) played a blistering knock, ensuring the momentum remained with the Kings. However, it was captain Faiz Fazal who stole the show, anchoring the innings with a match-winning unbeaten 54 off just 26 balls.

Manpreet Gony provided the finishing touches with a quickfire 26 not out off 12 balls, guiding Rajasthan Kings to an imposing total of 197/3 in 15 overs.

Chasing a stiff target, Big Boys Unikari were put on the back foot early as Ankit Rajpoot removed the dangerous Saurabh Tiwary for a duck in the opening over. Despite the early setback, Naman Sharma's blistering 53 off 22 balls and Robin Bist's 43 off 25 balls kept Unikari in the hunt. However, they failed to get enough support from the middle order, leading to their downfall.

The Kings' bowlers kept things tight and never allowed Unikari to gain full control of the chase. Eventually, the opposition fell short, managing only 158/8 in 15 overs.

Having already made a significant impact with the bat, Gaurav Tomar continued his heroics with the ball, claiming three crucial wickets to derail the Unikari chase. Asad Pathan chipped in with two wickets, while Ankit Rajpoot, Manpreet Gony, and Shadab Jakati took one wicket each to seal a clinical win.

With this victory, Rajasthan Kings have now won three out of their four matches, climbing to second place, just behind Chhattisgarh Warriors in the standings.

Meanwhile, Big Boys Unikari remain winless after four matches, desperately needing a turnaround in their campaign.