By S.N. Venkatnag Sobers

Defending champions Mysore Warriors, owned by Cycle Pure Agarbathi of Mysuru city’s N.R. Group, are all set to defend their KSCA Maharaja Trophy T20 title this year.

Led by seasoned campaigner Karun Nair, who made a comeback to the Indian Test team, the Warriors lifted the coveted trophy last season — ending a 10-year title drought — by defeating Bengaluru Blasters by 45 runs at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.

This year the team will be led by Manish Pandey as Karun Nair will be out of action due to injury which he suffered during the recent England series.

The Mysore Warriors had previously won the Karnataka Premier League (KPL) title in 2014, beating the Belagavi Blasters by six wickets. The tournament was rebranded as the KSCA Maharaja Trophy in 2022.

Karun Nair was adjudged Player of the Tournament in the last edition, amassing 560 runs from 12 matches at an average of 56, including five fifties and a century, with a highest score of 124 not out.

This season, the team management has retained skipper Karun Nair, India pacer Prasidh Krishna and all-rounders C.A. Karthik and S.U. Karthik.

At the auction, the Warriors pulled off a major coup by bringing back flamboyant batter Manish Pandey, a proven performer at the international level and in the Indian Premier League.

Pandey, who captained the franchise during the KPL from 2014 to 2016, returns to the Mysore Warriors, setting the stage for a solid partnership with Karun and Prasidh Krishna, who will be joining the team after a brave outing for the Indian test team in England recently.

The team has also retained key players from last year’s winning squad, including all-rounder K. Gowtham, pacer M. Venkatesh, India U-19 player Dhanush Gowda and wicketkeepers Harshil Dharmani and Sharath Srinivas.

New additions to the squad include talented all-rounders Yashovardhan Parantap, Goutham Mishra, Sumit Kumar and S.M. Shamanth, to strengthen the lineup.

Committed to nurturing local talent, the Warriors have retained Mysuru-based all-rounder L.R. Kumar and left-arm spinner K.S. Lankesh, M. Venkatesh, S.U. Karthik and signed two promising players — Gautham Sagar and M.R. Jayanth — discovered through their recent talent hunt. In total, six players from the Mysuru Zone will don the Warriors jersey this season.

Behind the scenes, the coaching staff remains a pillar of strength. Head Coach Rx. Murali — currently the batting coach for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Women’s team — and Assistant Coach Vijay Madyalkar, a former Karnataka Ranji cricketer, have been instrumental in shaping the team since its inception.  They are joined by former Karnataka Ranji player and Mysuru native, Aditya B. Sagar.

Mysore Warriors will begin their title defence against Bengaluru Blasters on Aug. 11 at SDNR Wadiyar Stadium, Manasagangothri, Mysuru.

All matches will be broadcast live on Star Sports 1 (English), Star Sports 1 (Kannada), and streamed on the FanCode OTT platform.

‘Aiming for repeat glory with home turf edge’

“I truly appreciate the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) for hosting the tournament despite several challenges. Without it, around 120 Karnataka players would have lost a platform to showcase their talent.

It’s especially exciting that the tournament is being held in Mysuru this year, allowing the Mysore Warriors to play the entire season in our hometown. As defending champions, I’m confident we have a strong team capable of lifting the trophy again.

Last year, our victory was made possible by the blessings of Goddess Chamundeshwari and the unwavering support of our fans. We look forward to the same support this year and hope the Goddess continues to bless our team.”

— Arjun Ranga, Owner, Mysore Warriors & MD, Cycle Pure Agarbathi