Bengaluru, September 1, 2024: Mysore Warriors won the third Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 on Sunday, defeating Bengaluru Blasters by 45 runs in yet another outstanding performance.
While Manoj Bhandage electrified the crowded M Chinnaswamy Stadium with an undefeated 13-ball knock of 44* runs to put Mysore at a daunting 207/4, Karthik SU (71) and Karun Nair (66) registered crucial half-centuries. Chethan LR (51) fought alone, but Vidyadhar Patil (3/19) and K Gowtham (2/23), with a scorching spell, held off the Bengaluru Blasters.
Vidyadhar Patil derailed the Bengaluru Blasters early in response to Mysore. In the first over, Patil dismissed Mayank Agarwal (6) with a beauty of a delivery, and in the third over, he removed Bhuvan Raju (1). After that, Dhanush Gowda hit a perfect first delivery to get rid of Rakshith S (5), and the Bengaluru Blasters ended their powerplay in a precarious 39/3 position.
The exception was opener Chethan LR (51), who amassed a dazzling 29 ball fifty off three fours and four sixes before being caught by K Gowtham in the tenth over. Gowtham also removed Bengaluru Blasters at 72/5 in 10 overs with a previous selection of Shubhang Hegde (5).
As soon as Suraj Ahuja (8), Aniruddha Joshi (18), and Naveen MG (17) dropped for little, it was game over for the Bengaluru Blasters. With two fours and three sixes, Kranthi Kumar (39*) countered, but his efforts were just symbolic. At 162/8, Bengaluru Blasters came in last.
Karthik SU (71) dominated the powerplay, hitting five fours and a six, as the Mysore Warriors, who had been invited to bat first, got off to a great start.
Karun Nair came in to pair with Karthik SU, and the two helped the side reach 52/1 by the end of the powerplay, despite the fact that Karthik CA (3) was dismissed by Naveen MG in the fourth over.
Karthik SU would score his third half-century of the season before the ten-over mark, taking thirty balls to reach the mark. Before being outwitted by Shubhang Hegde and being removed in the 14th over, Karthik SU hit two more sixes to break the 81-run partnership with Karun Nair.
The next player out was Harshil Dharmani (6), who was dismissed by Kranthi Kumar in the fifteenth over, leaving the Mysore Warriors at 119/3. 32 runs were scored off of Karun Nair’s first 34 deliveries, but in the 16th over, he broke free and hit Shubhang Hegde for a six over extra cover. In the same over, Manoj Bhandage (44*) too got off to a fast start with two sixes.
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Then, in the 17th over, Karun Nair dismissed Lavish Kaushal, scoring 16 runs and reaching a fifty off 40 balls. Karun Nair and Bhandage scored 48 runs in 14 balls before Nair was removed by Chethan LR at long on off Naveen MG. After 17.3 overs, Mysore Warriors were at 167/4. Mysore Warriors reached 207/4 thanks to two sixes and two fours smashed by Bhandage in the last over and an undefeated partnership of 40 runs with J Suchith (7*).