Abhirath Reddy's 99 leads E Champions' triumph over Risers in Hyderabad Derby

Hyderabad, June 25, 2026: Hyderabad e-Champions won the inaugural Hyderabad Derby of the season, beating Ranga Reddy Risers by 6 wickets in the first match of the HCA's Sreenidhi University TG20 on Thursday. The win was the e-Champions' second in as many matches.

Half centuries from Avanish Rao (53 off 29) and Aditya Javvaji (58 off 35) helped the Risers post 195/4 in 20 overs. In response, Abhirath Reddy’s sensational knock (99 off 45) along with cameos from Shanmukha Ashwin (30 off 18) and Yashveer Goud (30* off 13) ensured that the e-Champions secured the win with 12 balls to spare.

Keeping in tune with their starts in the tournament so far, the Risers openers laid the foundation for their side. Avanish did most of the heavy lifting alongside Aaron George (20 off 16) as the two batters found boundaries with regularity to amass 62 runs in the powerplay.

With the platform seemingly set for a big score, Avanish blazed his way to a 25-ball fifty. The southpaw eventually fell in the eighth over as Shanmukha Ashwin broke the 72-run stand for the e-Champions.

They pegged things back significantly since that dismissal, conceding only 23 runs in the next 3.4 overs. In an attempt to up the ante, Aaron (35 off 26) succumbed soon after, holing out in the twelfth to give Akhil Rathod his first scalp.

After steadying the ship for their side, Aditya added some impetus to the innings along with Risers captain Tanay Thyagrajan (31 off 22). The two stitched together an 84-run partnership with Aditya leading the charge, notching his half-century in 31 balls.

The partnership witnessed clever strike rotation before unleashing into an exhibition of range hitting as they reconstructed the innings for the Risers. However, Pranav struck back to dismiss Tanay and Aditya in the penultimate over, helping the e-Champions to restrict their opponents to 195/4.

The e-Champions had a shaky start to the chase with B. Punnaiah dismissing Sai Vikas Reddy (3 off 7) in the third over. Anvith Reddy (4 off 6) didn’t trouble the scores much either as he succumbed to Aryan Cariappa in the fifth over, putting his side in a spot of bother at 43/2.

Abhirath stood tall under pressure as he registered a 55-run stand off 31 balls alongside Shanmukha, bringing their side back into the contest. The latter’s exciting cameo came to an abrupt end with Arun Kumar getting the better of him in the tenth over.

Abhirath continued to build on his blistering knock, finding boundaries at will as he led his side closer to the finish line. Unfortunately, he fell one short of his century, holing out on 99 in the sixteenth over. With the e-Champions still needing 38 runs in the last 4.4 overs, Yashveer Goud ensured there were no further hiccups for his side by smacking three consecutive sixes in his first three deliveries.

His attacking intent settled the nerves as he combined with Ganesh Gagugu (25* off 19) for an unbeaten 42-run partnership in 16 deliveries. The two blitzed their way to lead the e-Champions to a comfortable victory and the bragging rights in the opening Hyderabad Derby of the season.

Brief Scores:

Hyderabad e-Champions beat Ranga Reddy Risers by 6 wickets

Ranga Reddy Risers 195/4 in 20 overs (Aditya Javvaji 58, Avanish Rao 53, Pranav Varma 2/27)

Hyderabad e-Champions 198/4 in 18 overs (Abhirath Reddy 99, Shanmukha Ashwin 30, Yashveer Goud 30, Aryan Cariappa 1/28)

Player of the match: Abhirath Reddy