Bengaluru Blasters secured a 20-run victory over Coastal Kings Mangaluru in the first match of the day at the DACSS Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20, held in Mysuru, Karnataka. With this win, the Blasters remained at the top of the table with six points from four matches, while Coastal Kings suffered their first defeat in three games, dropping to third place with three points.
Blasters Post Formidable Total
Batting first, Bengaluru Blasters raced to 226 for six, thanks to strong contributions from their top and middle order. Wicketkeeper-batsman KL Shrijith anchored the innings with 59 runs off 33 balls, including seven fours and two sixes. He added a 26-ball 55-run partnership with opener Rohan Patil (30 off 14, five fours, one six) for the second wicket and a 33-ball 49-run stand with Samit Dravid (39 off 21, three fours, two sixes) for the third.
Captain Shubhang Hegde (34 off 18, four sixes) and Praveen Dubey (45 not out off 21, six fours, two sixes) further accelerated, adding 47 runs in 24 balls for the fifth wicket. C A Karthik was the most successful bowler for Coastal Kings, taking 3 for 49.
Coastal Kings' Chase Falls Short
In reply, Coastal Kings made a poor start, losing opener Nikin Jose in the first over and captain Karun Nair for just 10, leaving them at 23 for 2 in 3.3 overs. They slipped to 97 for 5 in the 12th over. However, Suraj Ahuja mounted a spirited fightback, scoring a whirlwind 96 not out off 38 balls, with five fours and eight sixes. He fell short of a century but added 109 runs for the unbroken sixth wicket with C A Karthik (49 not out off 27 balls, three fours, three sixes) off just 51 balls. Shubhang Hegde was the pick of the Blasters' bowlers with figures of 2 for 31.
Brief Scores
Bengaluru Blasters 226-6 (Rohan Patil 30, KL Shrijith 59, Samit Dravid 39, Shubhang Hegde 34, Praveen Dubey 45 not out; C A Karthik 3-49) beat Coastal Kings Mangaluru 206-5 (Suraj Ahuja 96 not out, C A Karthik 49 not out; Shubhang Hegde 2-31) by 20 runs.
