Hubli Tigers overcome early setbacks to secure six-wicket triumph against Gulbarga Mystics

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], August 18 (ANI): The Hubli Tigers logged their second consecutive victory at the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20, defeating the Gulbarga Mystics by six wickets in the second fixture of the day at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday. The seasoned pair of KL Shrijith (51) and Manish Pandey (31) combined for an 84-run stand and built the foundation for Aneeshwar Gautam (35*) and Kartikeya KP (31*) to script a comfortable finish for Hubli. Earlier in the match, Devdutt Padikkal's (46) fiery knock was countered by Kumar LR and KC Cariappa who led the Hubli bowling attack with figures of 3/34 and 2/22 respectively.

The Hubli Tigers lost both openers early; Vyshak Vijaykumar dismissed Thippa Reddy while Monish Reddy's sizzling spell saw the end of Mohd Taha to leave Hubli precariously placed at 7/2. Captain Manish Pandey (31) and KL Shrijith (51) executed the repair job putting on an 84-run stand. The pair minimized risks through efficient strike rotation initially, however they broke the shackles in the 10th over when Shrijith and Manish Pandey each muscled Ritesh Bhatkal for a six, bringing the scoreline to 79/2.

Shrijith reached his half-century in style, pulling a Vyshak Vijaykumar bouncer into the stands. However, his attempt to repeat the feat in the same over led to his dismissal. His 35-ball fifty included five sixes and three fours. Manish Pandey followed soon after, falling to Prithviraj Shekhawat in the 13th over. With 58 runs needed from 42 balls, the match hung in balance.

Aneeshwar Gautam and Karthikeya KP put together 59 runs in 35 balls, scripting a comfortable finish for Hubli in 18.3 overs to hand Gulbarga their second consecutive loss of the season. Earlier in the evening, Devdutt Padikkal and Luvnith Sisodia (39) set a strong foundation for the Gulbarga Mystics, guiding them to a solid start with 52 runs in the powerplay. In the sixth over Sisodia and Padikkal would each launch Hubli's Manvanth Kumar for a six, signalling their intent.

Padikkal then unleashed a flurry of boundaries, hammering 14 runs off a Rishi Bopanna over before the opening partnership of 81 runs was broken by KC Cariappa in the ninth over. Bopanna quickly redeemed himself by dismissing Sisodia as well.

The Mystics' innings wobbled at 106/4 as Aneesh KV (10) and Smaran R (8) fell in quick succession. Sharath BR (12) and Pravin Dubey (11) struggled to stabilize the innings, managing only 22 runs together before Sharath BR was scalped by Kumar LR. Ritesh Bhatkal (14) was soon dismissed by Vidwath Kaverappa, and KC Cariappa claimed his second wicket of the night by removing Dubey. Kumar LR made further inroads by dismissing Yashovardhan Parantap (5) and Vyshak Vijaykumar (1), restricting the Gulbarga Mystics to 158/9 in their 20 overs.

Brief Score: Gulbarga Mystics 158/9 in 20 overs (Devdutt Padikkal 46 runs off 29 balls, Luvnith Sisodia 39 runs off 27 balls, LR Kumar 3/34, KC Cariappa 2/22) vs Hubli Tigers 160/4 in 18.3 overs (KL Shrijith 51 runs off 36 balls, Aneeshwar Gautam 35* runs off 20 balls, Karthikeya KP 31* runs off 20 balls, Manish Pandey 31 runs off 30 balls, Vyshak Vijaykumar 2/22). (ANI)