Greater Noida (U.P.), Feb 27 : Thisara Perera's blistering knock of 65 runs off 28 balls propelled Red Carpet Delhi to a convincing five-wicket victory over Mumbai Champions in the eighth match of the Indian Veteran Premier League (IVPL) at the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex here on Tuesday.

Mumbai Champions scored 139/8 in the allotted 20 overs but Red Carpet Delhi chased down the target with 32 balls to spare. Ashley Nurse and Vikrant Sharma picked three wickets each for Red Carpet Delhi while Perera smashed a fine fifty. He was named as the Player of the Match.

Opting to bat first, Mumbai Champions had a bad start as the side lost two wickets in the first four overs. Abhishek Jhunwala and Vishvajitsinh D Solanki did the repair works for a while as they built a 39-run stand for the third wicket. At the start of the ninth over, Mumbai Champions were 60/3. The side kept losing wickets at regular intervals and were not able to make a big partnership. From 60/3 to 102/7, the side lost four wickets in the middle overs. In the final few overs, Amit Sanan and Vinay Yadav managed to take Mumbai Champions to 139/8.

In the pursuit of 140 runs, Red Carpet Delhi encountered an early setback with the dismissal of skipper Herschelle Gibbs. However, this setback failed to hinder their pursuit of the target, as the dynamic duo of Richard Levi and Asela Gunaratne swiftly took charge, maintaining a brisk scoring rate and ensuring a steady flow of runs for the team.

While Aseal departed in the sixth over, Richard got out in the 10th, leaving Red Carpet Delhi at 89/3. However, chasing a paltry target, was a cakewalk for the Delhi-based team as they easily moved closer to the target despite losing wickets. In the last six overs, Red Carpet Delhi needed 11 runs to win and Perera did the needful with 32 balls to spare.

Red Carpet Delhi will next take on Rajasthan Legends on Thursday, while Mumbai Champions will next meet VVIP Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday.

/IANS