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Vizag, 1st July: Last season����ֱ�� Andhra Premier League champions Rayalaseema Kings won by 7 wickets in their opener against last year����ֱ�� finalists Coastal Riders at the Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA–VDCA Cricket Stadium in Vizag.

Coastal Riders set a target of 150, having scored 149/7 in their allocated 20 overs. Captain Shaik Rasheed����ֱ�� unbeaten knock of 87 helped them get past the 125-run mark, as the rest of the team looked brittle. For Rayalaseema Kings, Satyanarayana Raju and Bodhala Vinay Kumar picked up 2 wickets each while Shaik Mohhamad Rafi, Anjaneyulu and Shaik Kamaruddin each picked up 1 wicket.

Coming out to bat, Rayalaseema Kings looked unfazed as KH Veera Reddy and vice captain DB Prashanth Kumar both gave them a solid start. Roshan Kumar����ֱ�� 47 off 24 ensured the momentum carried on despite the openers getting out for 23 and 38 respectively. T Vamsi Krishna and TV Sai Sravan eventually ensured the inevitable win, with 5 overs to spare.

Speaking about the win, captain Girinath Reddy stated,” We are delighted to start off with a win. Our strategy was to make sure we restrict Coastal to below 150, and our bowlers executed that perfectly. Roshan����ֱ�� knock was the icing on the cake for us.”

Vinay����ֱ�� spell of 2-0-13-2 saw him be crowned as the APL Game Changer while Roshan Kumar����ֱ�� 47 from 24 helped him stake his claim as the R.V.V.R Super Striker.

Rayalaseema Kings next play the Vizag Warriors on 2nd June from 2:00 PM IST at the same venue.