Mangalore United vs Shivamogga Strikers, 25th Match - Live Cricket Score, Commentary

That's a wrap to the afternoon game of today's double header. It's certainly ended much earlier than we'd expected it to. Gives a bit of breather going into the next contest which isn't all too far away. Do switch tabs to enjoy the derby clash between Mysore and Bangalore. That should be a cracker. Ta ta!

Gowtham | Player of the Match | Strikers captain: The boys expressed themselves. I just told them that we can't go anymore down, so just do your best. Boys are very young, don't have a lot of experience. Hopefully they'll come good in the coming seasons. We have a balanced side, it's just that we didn't click at the right time (earlier in the tournament). I just back myself. I just stuck to the basics and it worked. Hopefully we can express ourselves in the next game as we did today.

17:58 Local Time, 12:28 GMT, 17:58 IST: It's the worst possible result for Mangalore. This was a must-win game for them to keep things under their control. Not only have they lost it, but also have got a severe beating to their net run rate, which was already the weakest among the top five teams. It was a clinical performance from the Strikers who brought their A game to the table, albeit a bit too late in the season. 136 was a well below-par on this surface which got better as the game progressed, and although the Strikers lost Sharath early, Hoover and Gowtham put on a destructive second-wicket stand to quash United's hopes. Both of them were at their lethal best, taking every bowler to the cleaners in a fine display of ball-striking. Gowtham had a dream game, shining big time with both ball and bat. He'd only wish that it had come earlier in the tournament though.

Nikin Jose to Stallin Hoover, 1 run, Strikers have given United a proper hammering! Not the fancy finish but effective nevertheless. Hoover steps out and drives this down the ground to long-off, gets his side over the line

Nikin Jose to Stallin Hoover, no run, flatter and outside off, Hoover punches off the back foot to point

Nikin Jose, comes into the attack

Stallin Hoover is fittingly on strike to hit the winning runs. He'll dearly want to end things with the glory shot.

Shashi Kumar K to Siddharth, 2 runs, Siddharth looks for the slog sweep, loses his timing a bit and gets it towards the big gap at cow corner. Gets a brace and the scores are now level

Shashi Kumar K to Siddharth, no run, tossed up around off, Siddharth lunges forward and defends softly to mid-wicket

Shashi Kumar K to Stallin Hoover, 1 run, Hoover wants to end it in style, looks for the slog sweep but has to fetch it from a wider line. Drags it to deep mid-wicket

Shashi Kumar K to Siddharth, 1 run, drifting in on middle and leg, Siddharth nudges it behind square to give Stallin Hoover the strike

Krishnamurthy Siddharth, right handed bat, comes to the crease

Shashi Kumar K to Gowtham, out Caught by Vijaykumar Vyshak!! Excellent catch! Vyshak had some ground to cover to his left from fine leg and took this with a dive, inches above the ground. Superb stuff. Gowtham wanted to end the game with one more shot, went to the slog sweep but didn't quite get hold of this one as well as he'd have liked. Falls after a spectacular innings. It was Gowtham at his proper best. Gowtham c Vijaykumar Vyshak b Shashi Kumar K 72(32) [4s-7 6s-4]

Shashi Kumar K to Gowtham, THATS OUT!! Caught!!

Shashi Kumar K to Gowtham, SIX, smoked! No shuffle movements from Gowtham this time, stays still and gets a slot ball that's slog sweeps over long-on. Clean as a whistle, as most of his hits have been this afternoon. One more biggie will do for the Strikers

Aneeshwar Gautam to Gowtham, 1 run, continues to walk across the stumps to heave this away, but Gautam bowls it much wider and induces an inside-halved shot down to long-on

Aneeshwar Gautam to Gowtham, FOUR, drilled away! Down the track goes Gowtham, gets to the pitch and hammers it straight back, almost taking the non-striker with the shot. Races away to the fence

Aneeshwar Gautam to Stallin Hoover, 1 run, very full, Hoover makes room and hams it to sweeper cover

Aneeshwar Gautam to Gowtham, 1 run, shuffles across, looking to slog over long-on, gets it off the cue-end towards the deep

Aneeshwar Gautam to Stallin Hoover, 1 run, looks to cut off the back foot but no room and he chops a bottom edge to point. Fifty for Hoover! Been a fun innings to watch, he's taken the bowling on right from the get-go