Day 143, Match 1
Bengaluru, 25th August, 2023: The Bengaluru Blasters found their elusive first victory as they beat the Mysuru Warriors by 11 runs in the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20. A century from Mayank Agarwal (105 off 57 balls) and a four-wicket haul by debutant off spinner Mohsin Khan (4/35) helped Bengaluru overpower a blitzkrieg in the second innings from Mysuru Warriors impact Player SU Karthik (70 off 30 balls), in a match that saw over 400 runs.
After opting to bat first, Mayank Agarwal’s Bengaluru Blasters were off to a quiet start scoring 16 runs of the first four overs and losing the wicket of EJ Jasper to J Suchith. Two consecutive sixes from the bat of Agarwal (105 off 57 balls) off the final two deliveries of the fifth over indicated a change in intent as they reached a total of 43-1 by the end of the powerplay.
D Nischal (29) supported his skipper in a 97-run partnership from just 55 balls for the second wicket before he was caught out in the deep in the 12th over bringing Shubhang Hegde (24) to the crease. Hegde and Agarwal rotated strike well to set an ideal launchpad, having reached 142-2 in 15 overs.
Shubhang Hegde was dismissed by Monish Reddy in the 17th over with Mayank still going strong on 96* which included nine fours and five sixes. Agarwal went on to bring up his century in 55 balls with a six before he was dismissed by Gautam Mishra the following over. Suraj Ahuja provided the big finish that Bengaluru was looking for, striking 35* runs off 10 balls, including four sixes and a four to take the team to 212-4 after 20 overs.
It was raining boundaries when the Mysuru Warriors came out to bat in the second innings as openers SU Karthik (70 off 30 balls) and Ravikumar Samarth (35 off 16 balls) stitched together a partnership of 60 runs from 29 balls before Samarth was dismissed. The onslaught continued as Karthik brought up the fastest half century of the tournament in 22 balls to take the team to 88-1 after six overs, which was the highest score at the end of a powerplay in this edition.
Debutant off spinner Mohsin Khan and chinaman Sarfaraz Ashraf turned the game in Bengaluru’s favour as their combined spell of five overs gave away just 27 runs and accounted for the wickets of SU Karthik, KS Lankesh (1), Shivkumar Rakshith (6) and Karun Nair (32), leaving Mysuru with 57 runs required of the final four overs.
The 18th over from Mohsin Khan saw two sixes along with the wickets of Manoj Bhandage (6) and Jagadeesha Suchith (19), bringing the equation down to 26 runs required of two overs with three wickets in hand. Following Shoaib Manager’s run out, the Bengaluru Blasters went on to win the match by 11 runs, bringing up their first win of the tournament.
Brief Scores
Kalyani Bengaluru Blasters won by 11 runs
Bengaluru Blasters – 212-4 in 20 overs: (Mayank Agarwal 105 off 57 balls, Suraj Ahuja 35* off 10 balls, D Nischal 29 off 25 balls, Jagadeesha Suchith 2-34, Monish Reddy 1-32, Gautam Mishra 1-32)
Mysuru Warriors – 202-8 in 20 overs: (SU Karthik 70 off 30 balls, Ravikumar Samarth 35 off 16 balls, Karun Nair 32 off 34 balls, Mohsin Khan 4-35, Sarfaraz Ashraf 2-23, LR Kumar 1-46)