In the first match of the International Masters League T20 played at Dr. D.Y. Patil Stadium in Mumbai, India Masters defeated Sri Lanka Masters by 4 runs in a thrilling match that went on till the last balls.
Due to the explosive batting of Stuart Binny and Yusuf Pathan, India scored a huge score of 222 runs for 4 wickets in 20 overs, which was defended well by the team.
First innings: Binny-Pathan’s storm, India’s huge score
India Masters, captained by Sachin Tendulkar, had a slow start. Sachin (10) and Rayudu (5) returned to the pavilion early. But after this Gurkeerat Singh Mann (44) handled the innings and took the score forward along with Stuart Binny.
Binny played a stormy innings of 68 runs in 31 balls, which included 3 fours and 7 sixes. But the real havoc happened when Yusuf Pathan came to the crease. He hit 56 runs in just 22 balls, which included 3 fours and 6 sixes. Yuvraj Singh also contributed 31 runs.
For Sri Lanka, Suranga Lakmal took 2 wickets, while Isuru Udana and Chaturanga de Silva got 1-1 wickets.
Second innings: Sangakkara’s half-century wasted, Sri Lanka’s great effort failed
Chasing 223 runs, Sri Lanka Masters made a tremendous effort. Kumar Sangakkara played a brilliant innings of 51 runs in 30 balls (8 fours, 1 six). Jeevan Mendis also made the match exciting by scoring 42 runs in 17 balls.
In the last overs, Isuru Udana (23 runs, 7 balls) also hit some big shots, but the team could only score 218 runs for 9 wickets in 20 overs.
For India, Irfan Pathan bowled brilliantly and took 3 wickets for 39 runs in 4 overs. Dhawal Kulkarni, Vinay Kumar and Abhimanyu Mithun took 2 wickets each.
International Masters League T20 1st Match India Masters vs Sri Lanka Masters Scorecard
Venue: Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai
Result: India Masters won by 4 runs
India Masters – 222/4 (20 Overs)
- Stuart Binny – 68 (31), 3 fours, 7 sixes Player of the Match
- Yusuf Pathan – 56* (22), 3 fours, 6 sixes
- Gurkeerat Singh Mann – 44 (32), 7 fours
Best Bowlers (Sri Lanka Masters):
- Suranga Lakmal – 2/34
- Isuru Udana – 1/57
- Chaturanga de Silva – 1/24
Sri Lanka Masters – 218/9 (20 Overs)
- Kumar Sangakkara – 51 (30), 8 fours, 1 six
- Jeevan Mendis – 42 (17), 3 fours, 3 sixes
- Asela Gunaratne – 37 (25), 3 fours, 1 six
Best Bowlers (India Masters):
- Irfan Pathan – 3/39
- Dhawal Kulkarni – 2/34
- Vinay Kumar – 2/53
India Masters secured a thrilling win as Sri Lanka Masters fell just short despite a strong fightback.
IML 2025 IND vs SL Men After Match Statment
Sachin Tendulkar (India Masters captain): Fabulous feeling. It’s always a great feeling coming out to the field. This has been a great Stadium. The atmoshephre was electric. A big thankyou to everyone. To support cricket above all was great. When you end up winning, the points are in your bag. They stitched some important partnerships but our bowlers hit back at the right time.
Mithun bowled a fantastic final over, Irfan bowled really well in the middle overs. Binny batted really well and then Yusuf played a blinder. Still strong enough to hold my legs. When the ball goes up and the crowd is large. My conversation with Rayudu was that I knew you would be somewhere around.
Stuart Binny is the player of the match.
Let’s hear from him: We were waiting for a long time for this tournament to come around again and we practised hard. What a first game to have. I normally don’t bat at number 4. Paaji (Sachin) asked me to be prepared to bat just in case we lose two wickets upfront.
He also said that look to normal cricket, just don’t go out and hit. I am so used to going out and hitting in the last few overs. You have a lot more time in T20 cricket than you think you have so just took a little bit of time and once you are set you can go from there.
He (Sachin) said that’s the way you play in the powerplay as well; not too sure how hard to go in the powerplay. Once you get settled, the wicket is so good, you can really capitalise from there. It’s nice to be around legends and even the dressing room talk right now is very positive.
