Maharaja Trophy final: Mysore Warriors crowned champions

Mysore Warriors defeated Bengaluru Blasters by 45 runs in the final to be crowned champions of the third edition of the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 on Sunday (September 1).

Karthik SU (71) and captain Karun Nair (66) registered vital half-centuries while Manoj Bhandage entertained the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru with an unbeaten 13-ball knock of 44 to place Mysore at a formidable 207/4.

Chethan LR (51) waged a lone battle, but Bengaluru were thwarted by a sizzling spell from Vidyadhar Patil (3/19) and the shrewd K Gowtham (2/23).

Skipper Mayanka Agarwal departs early

In response to Mysore, Bengaluru were derailed early by Patil. He castled skipper 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 finished their powerplay precariously placed at 39/3.

Opener Chethan was the exception as he struck three fours and four sixes to a glitzy 29-ball fifty until he was bagged by Gowtham in the 10th over. Gowtham also picked Shubhang Hegde (5) earlier to leave Bengaluru at 72/5 in 10 overs.

It was curtains for Bengaluru soon as Suraj Ahuja (8), Aniruddha Joshi (18), and Naveen MG (17) fell cheaply. Kranthi Kumar (39 not out) fought back with two fours and three sixes but his efforts were purely consolatory. Bengaluru finished at 162/8.

Karthik-Nair partnership

Earlier, invited to bat first, Mysore were off to a strong start with Karthik (71) dominating the powerplay, hitting five fours and a six. Though Karthik CA (3) fell to Naveen MG in the fourth over, Nair stepped in to partner with Karthik SU, leading the team to 52/1 by the end of the powerplay.

Before the 10-over mark, Karthik would bring up his third consecutive half-century of the season, reaching the milestone in 30 balls. Karthik launched two more sixes before he was outfoxed by Hegde, stumped in the 14th over and ending the 81-run stand with Nair.

Harshil Dharmani (6) was next to depart, cleaned up by Kumar in the 15th over to leave Mysore at 119/3. Nair’s first 34 balls saw 32 runs, but he broke the shackles in the 16th over, taking Hegde for a six over extra cover. Bhandage also got going with two sixes in the same over.

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 at long on, off Naveen. Mysore were at 167/4 in 17.3 overs. Bhandage hammered two sixes and two fours in the final over, while J Suchith (7 not out) remained unbeaten in a 40-run alliance to power Mysore to 207/4.

Brief Scores

Mysore Warriors 207/4 in 20 overs (Karthik SU 71 off 44 balls, Karun Nair 66 off 45, Manoj Bhandage 44 not out off 13, Naveen MG 2/44, Kranthi Kumar 1/23)

Bengaluru Blasters 162/8 in 20 overs (Chethan LR 51 off 32, Aniruddha Joshi 18 off 17, Kranthi Kumar 39 not out off 21, Vidyadhar Patil 3/19, K Gowtham 2/23)