India Masters vs West Indies Masters IML T20 2025 Highlights: India Masters win high-scoring thriller in Raipur

Watch Yuvraj (49 not out off 20 balls) smash Jonathan Carter for back-to-back sixes in the 17th over of the Indian innings:

Irfan Pathan quickly recovers after getting hit for two boundaries at the start of the final over, the second off a free-hit after bowling a waist-high no-ball. The left-arm seamer builds pressure by limited Ashley Nurse to a single in the third delivery before bowling a dot with a delivery bowled well outside off that is not called a wide for some reason.

Pathan gets rid of Deonarine in the penultimate delivery to virtually seal India Masters’ triump. Skipper Brian Lara walks out to face the final delivery, and can only collect a boundary as India Masters collect a slender 7-run win in a high-scoring thriller in Raipur!

India Masters are not out of this contest yet! They had to get rid of Dwayne Smith if they were to collect a fourth win in five outings, and all-rounder Binny delivers with a clever slower ball that the opener misses completely, resulting in the ball hitting the base of the off stump. Good recovery by Binny after conceding a couple of boundaries in the first four balls as he concedes 10 runs for Smith’s wicket in his first over.

Kirk Edwards joins Jonathan Carter at the centre with Windies on the back-foot for the first time in their chase. WI-M 187/3 after 14; need 67 off 36

As if that wasn’t enough, Stuart Binny drops a catch near deep midwicket after a mishit by William Perkins in the fourth delivery of the over. Perkins had been playing second fiddle to Smith so far in the chase, and suddenly he’s caught up with his opening partner with three sixes and a four in the seventh over.

Yuvraj, meanwhile, decides to introduce Irfan Pathan in the following over, and the seam-bowling all-rounder starts off with a 20-run over – Smith smashing him for two sixes and a four to not only complete his fifty in 22 balls, but also the century opening partnership with Perkins! WI-M 114/0 after 8, with 46 runs coming in the last two overs!

Yuvraj, meanwhile, opts for spin from both ends by introducing left-arm finger spinner Pawan Negi in the fifth over. And Negi nearly gets the breakthrough in his first over after appealing for leg-before in the third ball. Umpire Simon Taufel turns it down after Smith misses a sweep, and it’s ‘Umpire’s Call’ on DRS after Yuvraj decides to review decision.

Smith then rubs salt on India Masters’ wounds with a four and a six in the last two balls, bringing up the fifty partnership with Perkins in the process. WI-M 56/0 after 5

Tremendous response by the India Masters batters after getting outplayed by the Aussies in their previous game, as they post 253/3 in 20 overs after getting invited to bat by West Indies Masters captain Brian Lara!

Stand-in captain Yuvraj Singh remains unbeaten on 49 off 20 deliveries, smashing six fours and three sixes including back-to-back fours in the last two balls of the innings. He had been dropped in the previous over by Tino Best’s bowling as a thick outside edge went past the wicketkeeper at a catchable height, and provided his team the final flourish that puts them in the driver’s seat in their final league match of the season!

Do stay tuned for West Indies Masters’ chase, which will get underway shortly!

Both Yuvraj and Yusuf Pathan are relatively new at the crease after Gurkeerat and Tiwary are dismissed in quick succession. The stand-in Indian skipper, however, is off to a flying start not long after as he smashes two sixes and a four – all in successive deliveries – in the seamer’s third over that ends up costing West Indies Masters 21 runs.

Nurse returns from the other end, and gets smashed for a four and a six in the first three deliveries – the latter off a waist-high full toss. India, meanwhile, have gone past the 200 mark and still have a couple of overs left. IND-M 218/3 after 18

Tiwary sends the ball high in the air in Jonathan Carter’s first over, right after collecting a boundary off the medium pacer. Lendl Simmons settles under the ball, and but is unable to hold on to the catch. Simmons, however, nearly runs Tiwary out with a direct hit at the striker’s end just as the southpaw was making his way back for a second run.

Tiwary completes his half-century in the following over, collecting a single off Tino Best – who replaces Smith. He takes 32 deliveries to reach the milestone, two more than Rayudu earlier in the innings. Meanwhile, the runs just keep flowing for the Indians, with 30 runs coming in the last two, taking them past 150! IND-M 154/1 after 14

Rayudu brings up the half-century with a six in Sulieman Benn’s first delivery of the evening, clearing the midwicket fence with ease. Rayudu helps himself to a four and a six later in the over, but perishes in the final ball after getting caught by Tino Best at the edge of the long on boundary.

He departs for 63 off 35 as India Masters lose their first wicket with nearly a hundred runs on the board! IND-M 94/1 after 9

Nurse continues to get smashed all over the park as Ambati Rayudu helps himself to back-to-back sixes in the eighth over, clearing the square-leg/midwicket region on both occasions with some clean hitting!

Nurse was guilty of bowling half-trackers on both occasions, and Rayudu was quick to respond with a couple of superbly-timed pulls. This after he smacked a short, wide delivery towards long off for a four. 19 off Nurse’s second over, and he will likely be taken off the attack.

Best, meanwhile, had bowled out a tidy seventh over, conceding just five. IND-M 75/0 after 8

India Masters: Ambati Rayudu(w), Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Saurabh Tiwary, Yuvraj Singh(c), Yusuf Pathan, Irfan Pathan, Stuart Binny, Pawan Negi, Rahul Sharma, Dhawal Kulkarni, Abhimanyu Mithun

West Indies Masters: Dwayne Smith, Kirk Edwards, Lendl Simmons, Brian Lara(c), William Perkins(w), Jonathan Carter, Narsingh Deonarine, Ashley Nurse, Jerome Taylor, Tino Best, Sulieman Benn

Yuvraj Singh, meanwhile, is captaining India Masters in Sachin Tendulkar’s absence. He confirms the ‘Master Blaster’ has a niggle and will be hoping to get back to full fitness at the time of the knockouts.

Three changes for India – Ambati Rayudu and Dhawal Kulkarni are back along with Yuvraj Singh while Naman Ojha and R Vinay Kumar miss out besides Tendulkar.

For the West Indians, Brian Lara is back as captain after missing the last two games.

Sachin Tendulkar has decided to rest himself for the match against West Indies Masters in Raipur, looking to keep himself fresh for the semi-finals.

So no Tendulkar vs Lara tonight!