Mysore/Mysuru: Pravin Dubey of Gulbarga Mystics thumped 7 sixes under pressure including one of the last ball to pull off a 7-wicket victory over Mysore Warriors at the ongoing KSCA Maharaja Trophy T20 Tournament at SDNR Wadiyar Stadium, here yesterday.

K.V. Siddharth (49 not out) and R. Smaran (38) made vital contributions to set up the platform for Dubey’s antics. Earlier, M. Venkatesh (93 not out) and Yashovardhan Parantap (48) had taken the Mysore Warriors to a total of 209/5 after a sluggish start. Luvnith Sisodia (37 off 13) hit K. Gowtham for four sixes in the first four balls of the innings to give the Mystics a thunderous start of 67/1 in the powerplay.

The 52-run stand between Sisodia and Nikin Jose was broken by Gautam Mishra in the fourth over. Jose had accumulated 21 runs when he retired hurt in the seventh over. Pavan Prajwal (7) perished next, trapped LBW by Shikar Shetty in the 8th over. With a climbing asking rate, R. Smaran and K.V. Siddharth took charge with a 66-run stand. Smaran was eventually caught at deep mid-wicket, removed by C.A. Karthik in the 15th over to leave the Mystics at 140/3.

Pravin Dubey (53) provided the late innings fireworks to overcome a target of 69 runs in the final five overs. He launched Gautam Mishra for two sixes in the 16th and three in the 18th over to blunt the equation to 22 runs off 12 balls. With three runs needed of the last ball, Dubey carved a six off L.R. Kumar (impact player) on the final ball to complete the heist.

Invited to bat first, the Mysore Warriors were in a world of trouble by the end of their powerplay at 37/3. Mystics’ Prithviraj Shekhawat castled S.U. Karthik in the first over and Lavish Kaushal gave away little in the exchange for the wickets of C.A. Karthik (17) and Harshil Dharmani (11). M. Venkatesh and skipper Manish Pandey reinvigorated the innings. The pair put on a rapid partnership of 73 runs in only 38 balls, before Pandey fell to Shashikumar Kamble in the 12th over with the score at 110/4. Venkatesh targeted the spinners bringing up a vital half-century in 31 balls. He was joined by Yashovardhan Parantap (48) and the duo dominated the Mystics bowling attack with a mammoth 91-run stand in 46 balls.

In the 17th over, Vyshak Vijaykumar was taken down for three sixes, two of which came from Parantap marking the most lucrative over of the innings (21 runs). Parantap had smashed three fours and four sixes when he was snared by Monish Reddy in the final over. Venkatesh remained unbeaten with six fours and five sixes under his belt to propel the Warriors to 209/5 in 20 overs.

Brief Scores: Mysore Warriors 209/5 in 20 overs (M. Venkatesh 93 not out, Manish Pandey 29, Yashovardhan Parantap 48, Lavish Kaushal 2/25) lost to Gulbarga Mystics 213/3 in 20 overs (Luvnith Sisodia 37, R. Smaran 38, K.V. Siddharth 49 not out, Pravin Dubey 53 not out).

Today’s Matches (Aug. 21)

Mangaluru Dragons Vs Mysore Warriors               3.15 pm

Bengaluru Blasters Vs Namma Shivamogga          7.15 pm

Venue: SDNR Wadiyar Stadium, Manasagangothri

Catch the live action on Star Sports 1 (English)

and Star Sports 1 Kannada and FanCode