Mysuru: The four-day State-Level T20 Cricket Tournament, organised in memory of M.N. Bhagath Simha, the founder of Jai Hind Cricket Club, was inaugurated by KSCA Mysuru Zone Chairman S. Balachandar at SDNR Wadiyar Stadium in Manasagangothri, here yesterday.

 In his inaugural speech, Balachandar paid tribute to legendary M.N. Bhagath Simha describing him as a pillar of the cricketing community. “Jaihind Cricket Club is one of the oldest and most respected clubs in Karnataka, with its registration number 1313. Bhagath Simha served as the club’s secretary for an impressive 54 years, from 1964 until 2018,” he said.

He also highlighted the club’s significant contribution to producing talented cricketers including the likes of Ballal, Jaishankar and others. Balachandar extended his best wishes to Pradeep Simha and the club members for their future endeavours.

 University of Mysore, Department of Physical Education Director C. Venkatesh, Jaihind Cricket Club Secretary Pradeep Simha and others were present. The tournament features prominent players including former Ranji Trophy players and individuals representing State teams at various age levels.

Navodaya CC outsmart Vijaya CC

In the inaugural match played at SDNR Wadiyar Stadium, city’s Navodaya Cricket Club defeated Vijaya Cricket Club by 8 runs. Put into bat first, Navodaya CC scored 150/4 in 20 overs. Prajwal Pavan topped scored with 49 runs of 39 balls (4×5, 6×2). Vidyadhar Patil picked up three wickets and both Aditya Goyal and Abul Hasan Khalid scalped two wickets each for Vijaya CC.

Chasing a target of 151 runs, Vijaya CC fell short by eight runs scoring 147/7 in 20 overs. Dhruv Prabhakar scored 38 runs off 30 balls (4×3, 6×2), Samit Dravid scored 32 runs off 22 balls (4×3, 6×1) and Abul Hasan Khalid  scored 30 runs off 21 balls (6×3). S. Ishaan picked up three wickets while Maribasava Gowda scalped two wickets for Navodaya. S. Ishaan was declared as the player of the match.

JoJo CC overcome Jai Hind CC

In other match played at JSS-SJCE Grounds, JoJo Cricket Club defeated hosts Jai Hind CC by 12 runs. Having put into bat first, JoJo CC scored 192 all out in 20 overs. Gowtham Sagar top scored with 64 runs off just 34 balls and was helped by Madhav Bajaj who scored 45 runs off 20 balls. Clement scalped four wickets for Jai Hind CC. In reply, Jai Hind CC could only score 180/8 in 20 overs falling short by 12 runs. Kruthik Krishna scored 77 runs off 42 balls and Adarsh scored 29 off 19 balls. L.R. Kumar picked up three wickets and Gowtham Sagar picked up  two wickets. Gowtham Sagar was declared as the player of the match.