CUBA Kannur Squad’s innings was an exhibition of controlled aggression and tactical clarity. After losing Sameer Koyanji off the very first delivery, Abdul Rahman (51 off 31) and Vishnu S (24 off 19) steadied the ship with fluent strokeplay, countering the early swing from Nahshel Backer and Sravan Chandran. Rahman’s knock, punctuated with crisp drives and audacious pulls, gave Kannur the launchpad they needed. Once the spinners entered the fray, captain-keeper Vinu Vijayan (59* off 38) and Jishnu Sunil Kumar (56 off 29) unleashed mayhem, stitching together a rapid-fire partnership that sent the Mumbai bowlers on a leather hunt. Their calculated assault in the middle overs pushed the scoring rate past ten an over. By the end of 20 overs, Kannur had piled on a mammoth 210/5 — a total that screamed authority and intent.

The Rangers’ bowlers had no answer to the sustained assault. Nimish was the lone bright spot, claiming two wickets but conceding 17 runs in his two overs. Saheer Mohammed and Nahshel Backer chipped in with a wicket apiece, yet their combined efforts barely slowed the scoring. Extras too hurt Mumbai, as 17 wides added to their woes. By the halfway mark, Kannur had already crossed 100 with wickets in hand, and from there, it was a parade of boundaries and sixes that set the crowd alight.