KPL 2016: 5 teams on the needle’s edge
A day’s break could work wonders for teams aiming to take stock and make the charge to get into the semi-final mix of the fifth edition of KPL.
The league phase, now nearing a climax, is delicately poised at the break, and barring Mysuru Warriors, who have already made the cut, any three of the five teams could advance to the business end of the tournament.
Mysuru Warriors, who have been in formidable form, are sitting pretty at 10 points having won all their matches thus far. They are two points ahead of their nearest competitor Hubli Tigers. The Tigers, provided there are no upsets, should fancy their chances of making the grade. They have two matches in hand, against Mysuru and Rockstars.
Of course, if they lose to table toppers Mysuru in the match on Wednesday, they’d have to anxiously await the outcome of the last match of the league phase, their tie against the Rockstars on Friday evening.
Bijapur Bulls, with seven points, will clash with Bellary Tuskers in a match that will decide the fate of the teams. The Bulls were thwarted by rain when they had Mangalore United on the mat. However, the two points on Monday night would have done a world of good for their resurgence.
Belagavi Panthers and Namma Shivamogga too are in with a chance and hence the last set of matches should make for a lot of calculations of points, net run rate and other equations. At the end of it, though, only four teams will go through to the next phase of the tournament and even the weather could play a part in determining who would join Mysuru Warriors in the semifinals.
| Team | Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | NR | Points | NRR |
| Mysuru Warriors | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1.971 |
| Hubli Tigers | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0.329 |
| Bijapur Bulls | 6 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 1.351 |
| Bellary Tuskers | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0.776 |
| Namma Shivamogga | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | -0.593 |
| Belagavi Panthers | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | -0.189 |
| Mangalore United | 6 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | -0.11 |
| Rock Stars | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -3.355 |
Cap Holders:
Orange Cap - R. Samarth – Bijapur Bulls (Runs - 277)
Purple Cap –Sinan Abdul Khader – Bijapur Bulls (Wickets -9)
Top 3 Batsman:R Samarth – Bijapur Bulls – 277 runs
Md. Taha – Hubli Tigers - 216 runs
Rohan Kadam – Bellary Tuskers - 215 runs
Top 3 Bowlers:
Sinan Abdul Khader – Bijapur Bulls – 9 wickets
J Suchith – Mysuru Warriors– 9 wickets
Abhimanyu Mithun – Bijapur Bulls – 9 wickets
| Date | Day | Match | Teams | Time | Venue |
| 28-Sep-16 | Wednesday | Match 23 | Rock Stars vs Belagavi Panthers | 13:30 | Hubli |
| Match 24 | Hubli Tigers vs Mysuru Warriors | 17:30 | Hubli | ||
| 29-Sep-16 | Thursday | Match 25 | Bijapur Bulls vs Bellary Tuskers | 13:30 | Hubli |
| Match 26 | Mangalore United vs Belagavi Panthers | 17:30 | Hubli | ||
| 30-Sep-16 | Friday | Match 27 | Mysuru Warriors vs Namma Shivamogga | 13:30 | Hubli |
| Match 28 | Hubli Tigers vs Rock Stars | 17:30 | Hubli | ||
| 1-Oct-16 | Saturday | Match 29 | Semi-Final-1 | 13:30 | Hubli |
| Match 30 | Semi-Final-2 | 17:30 | Hubli | ||
| 2-Oct-16 | Sunday | Match 31 | Finals | 17:30 | Hubli |
All matches of the KPL 2016 will be telecast live and exclusive on Sony ESPN SD and Sony ESPN HD Channels.