LR Chethan Maharaja T20 Trophy Maharaja T20 Trophy. (Source – Maharaja Trophy)
Bengaluru Blasters registered their fifth victory of the tournament as they overcame Mysore Warriors by 56 runs at the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20. Earlier in the day, Bengaluru’s Chethan LR set ablaze the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium with an authoritative 88 runs in only 53 balls, steering Bengaluru Blasters to 189/7.
The lack of partnerships for Mysore and a comprehensive bowling performance from Bengaluru, led by Shubhang Hedge (3/28) meant Mysore Warriors would face their fourth loss of the campaign.
Impact player, Karthik SU (26) opened Mysore’s run chase with a cluster of boundaries. Karthik SU launched Santok Singh for a six and a four in the first over, followed by two sixes and a four in the third over. Karthik SU’s onslaught was derailed by a sensational catch from Shikhar Shetty, in Shubhang Hegde’s first over.
Left arm pacer, Lavish Kaushal was amongst the wickets again as he picked up the crucial wickets of Karthik CA (17) and Karun Nair (13) in the sixth and eighth over respectively. Meanwhile, Samit Dravid (5) was cleaned up by Kranthi Kumar, leaving Mysore Warriors under pressure at 65/4 in 7.3 overs.
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Harshil Dharmani (20) and J Suchith (16) momentarily steadied the ship, constructing a 36-run alliance. However, Anirudha Joshi halted Mysore’s recovery, picking up Dharmani and Manoj Bhandage (0), caught and bowled, in the 12th over.
Mysore’s prospects dwindled further after J Suchit was pinged on his pads by Shubhang Hegde, bringing Mysore to 104/7 in 12.4 overs.
Sumit Kumar (18*) showed resilience as he remained unbeaten, but the tail was swiftly dismissed. Kranthi Kumar claimed the wickets of Gowtham Sagar (7) and Deepak Devadiga (0), while Shubhang Hegde removed K Gowtham (3). Consequently, the Mysore Warriors were bowled out for 133 in 17.5 overs.
In the absence of Mayank Agarawal, the Bengaluru Blasters lost two early wickets in the first innings. Nischal Dega (0) was castled by Vidyadhar Patil for a golden duck in the first over while Niranjan Naik’s (3) stumps were also sent cartwheeling by Karthik CA in the fourth over. Despite this, Chethan LR dominated the powerplay. He smashed seven fours and a six, including three boundaries of Manoj Bhandage to bring Bengaluru to 58/2 at the end of six overs.
Rakshit (29) joined Chethan LR (88) as the pair cruised through the middle overs in a 70-run partnership. Chethan scored the lion’s share of the runs, bringing up a 29-ball half-century.
J Suchit managed the breakthrough when Rakshit S was caught at long off in the 12th over leaving Bengaluru at 104/3 in 11.4 overs. Chethan LR continued to find boundaries, Suraj Ahuja (32) launched an assault of his own; dispatching Karthik CA for two consecutive boundaries and then punishing Deepak Devadiga for two sixes and a four in the 17th over.
While the Bengaluru Blasters seemed poised for a strong finish, Chethan’s fluent knock was cut short, dismissed by Karthik CA, and caught at long-on. In the same over Karthik CA scalped Anirudha Joshi (4) to mark his third wicket of the night.
K Gowtham doubled down ending Ahuja’s express innings and bagging Naveen MG (0) in the 19th over. Stand-in Captain Shubhang Hegde (11) and Kranthi Kumar (6) remained unbeaten, managing 16 runs in the final over to finish at 189/7.
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Brief Scores
Bengaluru Blasters won by 56 runs
Bengaluru Blasters 189/7 in 20 overs (Chethan LR 88 runs off 53 balls, Rakshith S 29 runs off 28 balls, Suraj Ahuja 32 runs off 16 balls, Karthik CA 3/33, K Gowtham 2/27)
Mysore Warriors 133/10 in 17.5 overs (Karthik SU 26 runs off 13 balls, Harshil Dharmani 20 runs off 13 balls, Sumit Kumar 18* runs off 16 balls, Kranthi Kumar 3/18, Shubhang Hegde 3/28)