Karimnagar Diamonds arrived for its TG20 clash against Warangal Warriors desperate to avoid a third successive defeat. It eventually did just that, surviving a late scare to clinch a thrilling two-run victory, powered by skipper Tanmay Agarwal’s (133, 61b, 15x4, 7x6) scintillating century.

Diamonds began shakily as Mudassar Hussain removed Satwik Reddy in the opening over. But Tanmay responded in style, taking charge in a 100-run second-wicket stand with Hrishikesh Simha. While Simha played the supporting role with 24 runs, Tanmay dominated with 74, racing to a 27-ball half-century in the process.

Murugan Abhishek ended the alliance by dismissing Simha, but Tanmay kept the pressure on, adding 56 runs off just 26 balls with Chandan Sahani. He brought up a superb hundred off only 52 deliveries before his dismissal in the 17th over stalled the charge. Diamonds failed to hit a boundary in the final two overs and had to settle for 209 for six.

Warriors powered the chase through Harshit Choudhary and Aman Rao until Harish Thakur inflicted the first blow in the third over. The scoring barely slowed down as Rishiket Sisodia tore into the Diamonds attack, helping Warriors chop 60 runs off the target in the PowerPlay while reaching a 23-ball fifty with three consecutive sixes.

But Satish Kumar turned the tide by deceiving Harshit, sparking a flurry of wickets. Bhavesh Seth, however, refused to let the contest slip away. With his team needing 23 off the final over, he smashed three sixes to drag the game to the brink. But his unbeaten heroics were not enough as Diamonds held their nerve to seal the win.

The scores: Karimnagar Diamonds 209/6 in 20 overs (Tanmay Agarwal 133, Mudassar Hussain 2/35) bt Warangal Warriors 207/6 in 20 overs (Rishiket Sisodia 65, Bhavesh Seth 53 n.o., Satish Kumar 2/18).