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Karun Nair-led Mysore Warriors became the champions of the third edition of the Maharaja Trophy T20 tournament on Sunday as they defeated Bengaluru Blasters with ease, earning a 45-run victory at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. (More Sports News)
Skipper Nair scored a valuable 66 with Karthik SU also getting 71, his third back-to-back fifty-plus score of the season. A spectacular 13-ball 44 not out at the end of the innings pushed Warriors to a formidable 207. Vidyadhar Patil (3/19) and the shrewd K Gowtham (2/23) then bowled brilliant spells to ensure a victory for the Warriors.
The big total was too much to handle for the Bengaluru Blasters who were led by Mayank Agarwal. Their chasing plans 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.
Earlier after getting 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 would bring up his third consecutive half century of the season, reaching the milestone in 30 balls. Karthik SU launched two more sixes before he was 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 won by 45 runs
Mysore Warriors 207/4 in 20 overs (Karthik SU 71 runs off 44 balls, Karun Nair 66 runs off 45 balls, Manoj Bhandage 44* runs off 13 balls, Naveen MG 2/44, Kranthi Kumar 1/23)
Bengaluru Blasters 162/8 in 20 overs (Chethan LR 51 runs off 32 balls, Aniruddha Joshi 18 runs off 17 balls, Kranthi Kumar 39* runs of 21 balls, Vidyadhar Patil 3/19, K Gowtham 2/23)
