Maharaja Trophy 2025: Mangaluru Dragons have won the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 title. In the rain-affected final match, they defeated Hubli Tigers by 14 runs. Mangaluru Dragons have won this title for the first time.
Rain prevented Hubli Tigers from winning the second title of Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20. Hubli Tigers won this title in the year 2023, but this time the rain dashed their hopes. In the final match played at Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar Stadium in Mysore, Mangaluru Dragons captained by Shreyas defeated Devdutt Padikkal's Hubli Tigers by 14 runs by VJD method. When the game was stopped due to rain, Mangaluru Dragons had scored 85 runs for two wickets in 10.4 overs. They were leading by the stipulated 15 runs. Sharat BR and Sachin Shinde played an important role in this victory of Mangaluru Dragons. Mangaluru Dragons have won this title for the first time.
What happened in the final match?
In the final match of Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20, Hubli Tigers captain Devdutt Padikkal won the toss and decided to bat first. Padikkal, who came to open, was dismissed after scoring only 10 runs in 7 balls. After this, Mohammad Taha and Krishnan Srijit took over the team's innings. Both took the team's score to 50 runs, but Taha returned to the pavilion in the sixth over. After this, the innings of Hubli Tigers started faltering.
Krishnan Srijit stood at one end and wickets kept falling continuously from the other end. In this way, the Hubli Tigers team could only score 154 runs for 8 wickets in 20 overs. Krishnan Srijit scored the highest 52 runs in 45 balls with the help of 4 fours and 1 six. Mohammad Taha played an innings of 27 runs in 15 balls with the help of 3 sixes and 2 fours. Apart from this, no batsman could stay on the crease for long.
Sachin Shinde's brilliant bowling
Sachin Shinde bowled brilliantly for Mangaluru Dragons. He sent three players to the pavilion by giving 28 runs in 4 overs. McNeil Noronha and Shrivatsa Acharya took two wickets each. Santokh Singh got one wicket. Mangaluru Dragons got off to a great start chasing the target of 159 runs.
Mangaluru Dragons' fast start
Chasing the target given by Hubli Tigers, Mangaluru Dragons under the captaincy of Shreyas Gopal got off to a fast start. Openers Lochan Gowda and Sharat BR added 55 runs in 35 balls for the first wicket. After this, Lochan was dismissed after scoring 18 runs in 17 balls. On the other hand, Sharat BR kept scoring runs fast. However, he missed his half-century and was out after scoring 49 runs in 35 balls with the help of 4 fours and 3 sixes.
When Mangaluru Dragons were at 85 runs for two wickets in 10.4 overs, heavy rain started. The rain did not stop and in the end Mangaluru Dragons won by 14 runs by VJD method, because when the game was stopped due to rain, Mangaluru Dragons were leading by 15 runs. Ritesh Bhatkal took two wickets for Hubli Tigers.