Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20: Shubhang Hegde's all-round show helps Bengaluru Blasters overcome Gulbarga Mystics by six wickets
Mysore, June 20
Bengaluru Blasters scored a thrilling six-wicket victory over Gulbarga Mystics in the opening match of the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 tournament in Mysore on Saturday.
Batting first, Gulbarga posted a challenging 201/5 in their 20 overs with handsome contributions from Prakhar Chaturvedi (64, 38 balls, 6 fours, 4 sixes) and Aarav Mahesh (63, 41 balls, 6 fours and 3 sixes).
A vital contribution by captain Manish Pandey (19) and a 12-ball 20 by Thippa Reddy boosted the total past 200. Shubhang Hegde and Shreevathsa Acharya claimed two wickets each for 44 and 36 runs respectively for Gulbarga.
Chasing 202 for victory, Bengaluru Blasters started confidently with Bhuvan Mohan Raju and Rohan Patil adding 88 runs for the opening partnership in 7.1 overs. They rotated the strike with clever strokes and kept the target in check. Bhuvan Mohan Raju's 29-ball 56 (3 fours, 4 sixes, strike rate 193.10) in the end became the fulcrum on which Bangalore Blasters built their victory
Though the Mystics bounced back with a couple of quick wickets to reduce the Blasters to 122 for three in 11.3 overs, the initial good work done by the openers worked in their favour as they eventually coasted to victory with the final delivery.
Krishnan Shrijith and Shubhang Hegde were instrumental in the drive towards the target as they stitched together a decisive partnership after the fall of the openers.
Krishnan Shrijith made a 15-ball 22 (3 fours) and Shubhang Hegde a 26-ball 36 (2 fours, 1 six) to lead Bengaluru Blasters to a comfortable victory, though the margin may convey a close clash. Praveen Dubey gave the contest the finishing touch with an amazing 17-ball 32 (2 fours, 1 six).
Paras Gurbax Arya was the most successful bowler for Gulbarga with figures of 2 for 34, while Macneil Noronha and Dhruv Prabhakar claimed a wicket each for 27 and 29 runs respectively.
Brief scores:
Gulbarga Mystics 201/5 in 20 overs (Prakhar Chaturvedi 64, Aarav Mahesh 63; Shubhang Hegde 2-44, Shreevathsa Acharya 2-36) lost to Bengaluru Blasters 202/4 in 20 overs (Bhuvan Mohan Raju 56, Rohan Patil 31, Shubhang Hegde 36, Dubey 32 not out; Paras Gurbax Arya 2-34, Macneil Noronha 1-27, Dhruv Prabhakar 1-29) by by six wickets.
— IANS
Reader Comments
What a match to start the tournament! Bhuvan Mohan Raju's 56 off 29 balls was simply breathtaking - strike rate of 193! And that final over finish by Praveen Dubey with 32 off 17 balls... pure entertainment for the Mysore crowd. 👏🔥
Great start for Bengaluru Blasters! But I feel Gulbarga Mystics could have defended 201 better if they had tighter bowling in the death overs. Paras Arya bowled well with 2 wickets but others leaked runs. Still, entertaining match! 🏏
Prakhar Chaturvedi and Aarav Mahesh gave Gulbarga such a solid platform with those fifties. But Bengaluru's openers just took the game away in the powerplay. This is why T20 is such a unpredictable format - team batting first posts 201 and still loses! 🎯
Shreevathsa Acharya's 2 wickets were crucial early to keep Bengaluru in check. But the batting depth won it for them. Good to see Karnataka's domestic talent shining in this tournament. Maharaja Trophy is doing great work for local cricket! 🌟
Honest opinion - Gulbarga Mystics needed a stronger bowling attack. 201 is a winning total in most grounds but they let it slip. The opening partnership of 88 in 7.1 overs decided the match. Nonetheless, a fantastic game of cricket to start the season! 🏆
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