Karun Nair-led team will take on Bengaluru Blasters today

Bengaluru: Mysore Warriors entered the finals of this year’s KSCA Maharaja Trophy T20 defeating Hubli Tigers by nine runs at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, yesterday. K. Gowtham’s sharp spell helped Warriors defend their total of 177 runs despite a late surge from K.P. Karthikeya (61 not out).

In response, Hubli Tigers stayed ahead of the equation in the powerplay, despite the loss of two wickets. Mohd. Taha (5) fell early, courtesy of C.A. Karthik. Impact player Thippa Reddy (33) struck three fours and three sixes before he was stumped, off K.Gowtham as Hubli Tigers finished the powerplay at 55/3.

K.L. Shrijith (19) opened fire, taking J. Suchith for a six and two fours in successive deliveries but was removed by Gowtham in the next over with the score at 72/3. Gowthan accounted for Aneeshwar Gautam (6) and taking Manish Pandey’s (6) catch off J. Suchith to bring Hubli Tigers to 95/5 in 13 overs.

Karthikeya (53 not out) and Manvanth Kumar (21 not out) kept the Tigers in the fight till the end with a 73-run alliance. Supported by Manvanth Kumar, Karthikeya made his way to a 32-ball half century with four fours and two maximums. The Hubli Tigers needed 20 runs in the final over but only managed 10 runs against Manoj Bhandage.

Put into bat first, Warriors stumbled to 14/2 after Vidwath Kaverappa dismissed C.A. Karthik (6) and L.R. Kumar removed Karun Nair (4) in the fourth over. S.U. Karthik (53) counter-punched with a four and a six in the fifth over helping Mysore reach 33/2 by the end of the powerplay.

The middle overs were powered by S.U. Karthik and Sharath Srinivas (26) who put on a stand of 61 runs. Karthik brought up his half century in 39 balls finding four fours and two sixes in the process before he was run out in the 17th over. His vital contribution saw Mysore Warriors to 123/5 in 16.3 overs. J. Suchith (0) would also fall in the 17th, to mark Kaverappa’s second of the night.

The final three overs would prove lucrative for Mysore Warriors earning them 54 runs. Harshil Dharmani smashed 14 runs in four deliveries until he was castled by Kumar while Manoj Bhandage’s quick fire knock saw 26 runs in 11 balls before he was dismissed by Cariappa. Gowtham (10 not out) and Vidyadhar Patil (11 not out) chipped in as well as Mysore finished at 177/8 in 20 overs.

Brief Scores

Mysore Warriors 177/8 in 20 overs (S.U. Karthik 53, Srinivas Sharath 26, Manoj Bhandage 26, L.R. Kumar 3/37, Vidwath Kaverappa 2/40) beat Hubli Tigers 168/5 in 20 overs (K.P. Kathikeya KP 61 not out, Thippa Reddy 33, K. Manvanth Kumar 21 not out, K. Gowtham 3/29).

Today’s Match (September 1) – Final

Mysore Warriors Vs Bengaluru Blasters

Venue: M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru           Time: 7 PM

Catch the live action on Star Sports Kannada, Star Sports 2;

Live streaming on Fancode