Fans at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium were promised a Mohammed Siraj vs Tilak Verma contest, a clash featuring two of the state’s biggest cricketing stars headlining the inaugural edition of TG20. Siraj skipped the fixture, and Warangal Warriors felt the sting as Tilak helped Medak Falcons storm to a three-wicket win on Monday.

Aman Rao’s blistering 133-run stand with Harshit Choudary helped Warriors post 101 in the PowerPlay. Surya Teja dismissed Harshit, but it did nothing to slow the flow of runs.

Aman, 21, blitzed his way to a 32-ball hundred and marked it with Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres’ trademark celebration. It took a sensational one-handed diving catch from Ravi Teja to end his breathtaking innings, but the damage was done as Warriors cruised to a formidable 258 for seven.

Falcons’ chase was dealt an early blow when Anirudh Srivatsa dismissed Naman Agarwal.

Tilak, fresh from a Tri-series win with India A, led from the front once more.

Despite losing partners along the way, Tilak’s lone wolf knock made a Herculean chase look like child’s play. His signature celebration, which didn’t come after bringing up the 50 or 100, came out in full force when he deservedly scored the winning run, before being mobbed by ecstatic teammates.

Earlier, Ranga Reddy Risers secured a five-wicket victory over Nalgonda Knights.

Late fireworks from Divesh Singh and Harshwardhan Singh lifted the Knights to a competitive 190-run target, but Risers skipper Tanay Thyagaran struck an unbeaten half-century to guide his side home with 21 balls to spare.

The scores: Warangal Warriors 258/7 in 20 overs (Aman Rao 142) lost to Medak Falcons 259/7 in 19.4 overs (Tilak Verma 136 n.o.).

Nalgonda Knights 189/8 in 20 overs (B. Punniahah 3/42) lost to Ranga Reddy Risers 190/5 in 16.3 overs (Tanay Thyajarajan 71 n.o.).