Maharaja Trophy T20: Mysore Warriors clinch title with 45-run victory against Bengaluru Blasters
Bengaluru: In yet another dominant display, Mysore Warriors defeated Bengaluru Blasters by 45 runs to emerge as the champions of the third edition of the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 on Sunday.
Karthik SU (71) and Karun Nair (66) registered vital half-centuries while Manoj Bhandage electrified the packed M Chinnaswamy Stadium with an unbeaten 13-ball knock of 44* runs to place Mysore at a formidable 207/4. Chethan LR (51) waged a lone battle, but the Bengaluru Blasters were thwarted by a sizzling spell from Vidyadhar Patil (3/19) and the shrewd K Gowtham (2/23).
In response to Mysore, the Bengaluru Blasters were derailed early by Vidyadhar Patil. Patil castled Mayank Agarwal (6) with a peach of a delivery in the first over and followed it up with the wicket of Bhuvan Raju (1) in the third over. Dhanush Gowda then struck off his first delivery to remove Rakshith S (5) as Bengaluru Blasters finished their powerplay precariously placed at 39/3.
Opener Chethan LR (51) was the exception as he struck three fours and four sixes to a glitzy 29-ball fifty until he was bagged by K Gowtham in the 10th over. Gowtham also picked Shubhang Hegde (5) earlier to leave Bengaluru Blasters at 72/5 in 10 overs.
It was curtains for Bengaluru Blasters soon as Suraj Ahuja (8), Aniruddha Joshi (18), and Naveen MG (17) fell cheaply. Kranthi Kumar (39*) fought back with two fours and three sixes but his efforts were purely consolatory. Bengaluru Blasters finished at 162/8.
Invited to bat first, the Mysore Warriors were off to a strong start with Karthik SU (71) dominating the powerplay, hitting 5 fours and a six. Though Karthik CA (3) fell to Naveen MG in the fourth over, Karun Nair stepped in to partner with Karthik SU, leading the team to 52/1 by the end of the powerplay.
Before the ten-over mark, Karthik SU brought up his third consecutive half-century of the season, reaching the milestone in 30 balls. Karthik launched two more sixes before being outfoxed by Shubhang Hegde, stumped in the 14th over and ending the 81-run stand with Karun Nair.
Harshil Dharmani (6) was next to depart, cleaned up by Kranthi Kumar in the 15th over to leave Mysore Warriors at 119/3. Karun Nair’s first 34 balls saw 32 runs, but he broke the shackles in the 16th over, taking Shubhang Hegde for a six over extra cover. Manoj Bhandage (44*) also got going with two sixes in the same over.
Karun Nair then took down Lavish Kaushal in the 17th over, creaming 16 runs and completing a 40-ball fifty. Bhandage and Karun Nair put on 48 runs in 14 balls until Nair holed out to Chethan LR at long on, off Naveen MG. Mysore Warriors were at 167/4 in 17.3 overs. Bhandage hammered two sixes and two fours in the final over, while J Suchith (7*) remained unbeaten in a 40-run alliance to power Mysore Warriors to 207/4.
Brief scores: Mysore Warriors 207/4 in 20 overs (Karthik SU 71, Karun Nair 66, Manoj Bhandage 44*; Naveen MG 2-44, Kranthi Kumar 1-23) beat Bengaluru Blasters 162/8 in 20 overs (Chethan LR 51, Aniruddha Joshi 18, Kranthi Kumar 39*; Vidyadhar Patil 3-19, K Gowtham 2-23) by 45 runs.
