Season 5 Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20

Hubballi: Mysore Warriors held their nerve in a thrilling finish to defeat Coastal Kings Mangaluru by two wickets off the final ball in the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 tournament here yesterday.

Needing seven runs from final over, tail-end batter and wicketkeeper Yuvraj Arora smashed an unbeaten 19 off just nine balls, including two sixes and a four, to guide Warriors to their second victory in 7 matches. The win, while keeping them at bottom of table, took them to 4 points. Coastal Kings remain second in standings with seven points, three behind leaders Kalyani Bengaluru Blasters.

Chasing a revised target of 162 in a rain-curtailed 19-over contest, Warriors appeared in control at 111 for three, thanks to 78-run partnership off just 42 balls between L.R. Chethan and Ritesh Bhatkal. Chethan struck 37 off 20 balls, with five fours and a six, before his dismissal triggered a dramatic collapse. Warriors lost 3 wickets in five deliveries, allowing Coastal Kings to claw their way back into contest. Bhatkal held one end together with a superb 66 off 39 balls, studded with 8 fours and 3 sixes. After reaching his half-century, he shifted gears by striking four successive boundaries to keep the chase on course.

Veteran leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal nearly turned the game on its head with a superb spell of 4 for 37, including two wickets in successive deliveries during the 17th over. His efforts, which also earned him the tournament’s Purple Cap with 11 wickets, ultimately proved insufficient as Arora kept his composure to complete a memorable chase.

Earlier, Coastal Kings posted a competitive total, built around captain Karun Nair’s fluent 48 off 27 balls, which included seven fours and a six. Nair dominated a 47-run second-wicket partnership with opener Nikin Jose after early dismissal of S.J. Aadharsh, scoring 36 of those runs as Coastal Kings looked set for a much bigger total. However, left-arm seamer Lavish Kaushal changed the complexion of innings with a decisive spell.

After conceding a boundary to Nair in the ninth over, Kaushal responded by dismissing Coastal Kings captain off the very next delivery before removing Suraj Ahuja to leave the innings wobbling at 78 for four. Kaushal returned later to claim the prized wicket of well-set Siddharth Akhil, who made 28 off 24 balls, finishing with impressive figures of 3 for 32. Shreyas contributed a useful 22 before he was clean bowled by Manoj Bhandage as Coastal Kings finished with a total that ultimately fell just short.

Brief Scores

Coastal Kings Mangaluru 161 (19 overs) (Karun Nair 48, Siddharth Akhil 28, Shreyas Gopal 22; Lavish Kaushal 3-32) lost to Mysore Warriors 167-8 in 18.5 overs (Ritesh Bhatkal 66, L.R. Chethan 37, Yuvraj Arora 19 not out; Shreyas Gopal 4-37).