Hubli Tigers came out on top in a nail-biting match against Mysuru Warriors to win the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20.

The dramatic final of the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 was held in Bengaluru on August 29, 2023. The Hubli Tigers prevailed over the Mysuru Warriors by a score of 8 runs to claim victory. Md. Taha (72), Manish Pandey (50*), and Manvanth Kumar (3/32) were the stars for Hubli as they prevailed over Mysuru in a final that went down to the wire. This victory kept the noisy supporters in M Chinnaswamy Stadium on the edge of their seats.

After the Mysuru Warriors asked them to bat in the all-important title match, opener Md. Taha (72 off 40 balls) and KL Shrijith (38), made sure there wasn’t a shortage of runs in the powerplay by scoring 59 runs in the six overs with seven fours and two sixes. This was despite the fact that Luvnith Sisodia was out without scoring on the second ball.

After KL Shrijith had scored 38 runs off 31 balls, the 89-run partnership that had been established was ended by Jagadeesha Suchith in the 12th over. This was after the partnership had been established in 59 balls. Md. Taha proceeded to bring up yet another half-century in just 27 balls before he was removed by Kushaal Wadhwani in the 14th over, at which point the score stood at 124-3. In the 16th over, the Skipper Manish Pandey (50* off 23 balls) lost no time in hitting the boundary, taking Wadhwani for two sixes and a four.

Both Sanjay Ashwin (16) and Praveen Dubey (4) were retired out, and Praveen Dubey was dismissed for just 4 runs, but a couple of sixes from the bat of Manvanth Kumar (14), along with some assistance from Manish Pandey, kept the momentum going as the Hubli Tigers added 75 runs in the final five overs of the innings. The team’s total score was 203-8, and Manish Pandey remained unbeaten throughout the innings, reaching his half-century on the very last ball of play.

Mysuru Warriors scored 56 runs in the first five overs of their chase for the title against Hubli Hubli Tigers.

After SU Karthik (28) was dismissed by Mitrakanth Yadav in the sixth over, the Mysuru Warriors captain, Karun Nair (37), came out to bat with Ravikumar Samarth (63). The wicket slowed down the flow of runs, as Mysuru only struck one four and one six each in the next five overs, bringing their score up to 91-1 at the halfway point of the game. Ravikumar Samarth hit a boundary off Praveen Dubey to bring up his fifty, hitting the milestone in 30 deliveries.

Hubli Tigers were victorious as a result of Manvanth Kumar’s spectacular bowling performance in the final over.
In the 12th over, Manvanth Kumar pulled off a spectacular run out off his own bowling to remove Samarth from the game. After Karun Nair’s dismissal in the same over by KC Cariappa, Mysuru needed 69 runs from seven overs to win. Nair had already hit four boundaries before he was run out.

Because Mysuru needed 26 runs from the final two overs, KS Lankesh (13), Manoj Bhandage (0), and CA Karthik (18) were all dismissed in the 16th, 17th, and 18th overs, respectively.

Manvanth Kumar’s outstanding performance in the final over under duress, in which he defended 12 runs while picking up two wickets, and Manish Pandey’s remarkable flying effort to save a certain six both proved to be game-changers, and the Hubli Tigers went on to win the championship by defeating the Mysuru Warriors by a score of 8 runs.

A Few Points and Notes:

Hubli Tigers won by 8 runs

Hubli Tigers – 203/8 in 20 overs (Mohammed Taha – 72 off 40 balls, Manish Pandey – 50* off 23 balls, Krishnan Shrijith – 38 off 31 balls, CA Karthik – 2/33, Jagadeesha Suchith – 1/24, Monish Reddy – 1/33)

Mysuru Warriors – 195/8 in 20 overs (Ravikumar Samarth -63 off 35 balls, Karun Nair – 37 off 20 balls, SU Karthik – 28 off 18 balls, Manvanth Kumar L – 3/32, Vidhwath Kaverappa – 2/40, Mitrakanth Yadav – 1/15)