Dragons edge Knights for thrilling victory

The Dragons celebrate their tight win over the Knights on Saturday. Gallo Images

The Auto Investments North West Dragons breathed fire in a thrilling three-run victory over the Knights in their T20 Challenge encounter at the Mangaung Oval on Saturday.

After opting to bat, Dragons posted a revised total of 149/4 following a rain delay which saw the game reduced to 18 overs per side.

Skipper, Wihan Lubbe, led from the front with a composed 58 off 40 balls, ably supported by Janneman Malan’s 40 and Lesiba Ngoepe’s unbeaten 32, setting a challenging target for the Knights.

Dian Forrester and Malusi Siboto each took two wickets for the Knights in an effort to halt the Dragons’ fire.

In their chase, Forrester’s all-round performance stood out with an unbeaten 46*, with major contributions from former Dragon Lesego Senokwane (39) and Patrick Botha (21). However, the Knights ultimately fell short, finishing at 146/6.

Duan Jansen claimed three key wickets, while Migael Pretorius executed two crucial runouts.

Kerwin Mungroo’s superb penultimate over, giving away just one run and taking a wicket, proved decisive, securing a hard-fought win for the Dragons.