Indian cricketer Milind Kumar, originally from Delhi, made an impressive debut in the inaugural edition of the US Masters T10 League. He delivered a remarkable performance, scoring an unbeaten 76 off just 28 balls for the California Knights, team led by former Indian and Chennai Super Kings cricketer Suresh Raina.
Milind’s partnership with former South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis was pivotal, as they together amassed a substantial 158-run partnership. This exceptional duo played a crucial role in securing a convincing 48-run victory for the Knights against the Texas Chargers.
Choosing to bat after winning the toss, Aaron Finch was dismissed early on, getting dismissed without scoring from just two balls bowled by Fidel Edwards. In the following over, Kallis exhibited his prowess by securing four boundaries against Sohail Tanvir.
The fourth over witnessed Milind’s explosive display as he faced left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha, smashing three sixes and a four. The boundary parade remained consistent from both ends, with Milind’s bat doing most of the talking. His exceptional performance earned him a half-century in a mere 17 balls.
Milind’s impressive innings of 76 runs was adorned with seven boundaries and six towering sixes. Meanwhile, Kallis showcased his skill with eight fours and three sixes in his 64 runs off 31 balls. This formidable partnership between the two players played a pivotal role in enabling the Knights to set a substantial total of 158/1 on the scoreboard.
During their pursuit of the target, the Chargers encountered an early setback as Mohammad Hafeez fell to Peter Siddle’s delivery on only the second ball of the innings.
Following this, Mukhtar Ahmed and team captain Ben Dunk adopted an aggressive approach, managing to accumulate runs swiftly. Nonetheless, their efforts were short-lived as Ashley Nurse dismissed both Mukhtar Ahmed and Ben Dunk in the fourth over.
Despite being selected by various Indian Premier League (IPL) teams in the past six such as Delhi Capitals (then Delhi Daredevils) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Milind couldn’t make any impact for them, he didn’t even make a single appearance in the IPL.
Milind Kumar was most recently part of the inaugural season of the Major League Cricket (MLC) as a local USA player after switching his base from India to USA. He was a member of the Texas Super Kings, owned by Chennai Super Kings, and played 7 matches and scored 101 runs.
Milind Kumar on 🔥#TXCvCK #USMastersT10 #SunshineStarsSixes #CricketsFastestFormat #T10League pic.twitter.com/3nS4ZFqoQJ
— US Masters T10 (@USMastersT10) August 19, 2023
