Hubli Tigers captain Aneeshwar Gautam anchored the chase with an unbeaten 60 off 41 balls, guiding his team to a comprehensive seven-wicket victory over defending champions Mysore Warriors in the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 tournament. The match, played at the Srikantadatta Narasimha Raja Wadiyar Ground in Mysuru on Monday, saw the Tigers reach the target of 162 with 15 balls to spare.
Early setback and recovery
The chase began poorly for Hubli Tigers when opener Preethesh Ingle was dismissed off the second ball of the innings, caught by Lavish Kaushal without scoring. However, Mohammad Taha and Mayank Agarwal quickly stabilised the innings. Taha was severe on anything short or wide, punishing the bowlers with aggressive strokes. The duo added 49 runs in just 4.3 overs for the second wicket before Agarwal departed for 19 off 11 balls, including three boundaries.
Taha continued his attacking approach, bringing up his half-century off 31 deliveries with a towering six over midwicket that sailed out of the stadium. He was dismissed for 57 off 38 balls, having struck five fours and three sixes, with 41 runs still required. Captain Gautam then took charge, anchoring the chase with a composed unbeaten 60 that included two fours and four sixes. Abhinav Manohar provided the finishing touches with an unbeaten 16 off 11 balls as the Tigers reached 162/3 in 17.3 overs.
Mysore Warriors collapse after strong start
Earlier, Mysore Warriors made a promising start but failed to capitalise. Contributions from L R Chethan (18), S U Karthik (35), Ritesh Bhatkal (46) and K P Karthikeya (27) gave the innings momentum. At 99/2 in the 11th over, the defending champions appeared set for a substantial total. However, they suffered a dramatic collapse, losing their remaining eight wickets for just 62 runs. The lower order offered little resistance as the Warriors were bowled out for 161 in 19.2 overs.
Hardik Raj and L R Kumar starred with the ball for Hubli Tigers, claiming three wickets each. Hardik Raj finished with 3/25, while L R Kumar recorded figures of 3/14, triggering the collapse and setting up the comfortable chase. Mysuru captain Vyshak Vijaykumar had a difficult outing, conceding 47 runs from his four overs.
Match impact and brief scores
After their opening fixture against Coastal Kings Mangaluru was washed out, the Tigers made an emphatic statement in their first completed game of the season. The victory gives them two points and a strong net run rate early in the tournament.
Brief Scores: Mysore Warriors 161 all out in 19.2 overs (Ritesh Bhatkal 46, S U Karthik 35, K P Karthikeya 27, L R Chethan 18; Hardik Raj 3/25, L R Kumar 3/14) lost to Hubli Tigers 162/3 in 17.3 overs (Aneeshwar Gautam 60*, Mohammad Taha 57, Mayank Agarwal 19, Abhinav Manohar 16*; Madhav Bajaj 2/27).
