Smaran R powers Gulbarga Mystics to 7-wicket victory over Bengaluru Blasters

MYSURU: Gulbarga Mystics defeated Bengaluru Blasters by seven wickets in the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 at the Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar Stadium on Saturday, according to a press release from the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA).

Smaran R (89* off 52) continued his scintillating form, scoring his fifth half-century of the season with eight fours and five sixes to take the Mystics to second on the points table with 12 points in nine matches. Earlier, Suraj Ahuja (54 off 31) and Rohan Naveen (34* off 18) had taken the Blasters to 164/7 in 20 overs despite Vyshak Vijaykumar’s (3/34) three-wicket haul.

Nikin Jose (impact player) and Luvnith Sisodia began the chase at a steady pace, but Luvnith (16 off 9) was caught at the boundary, off Naveen MG, in the 4th over, and soon after Nikin (16 off 16) had to retire hurt, leaving the Mystics in a pinch with just 39 runs at the end of the powerplay. Smaran R stepped up, scoring two boundaries and two sixes, while Prajwal Pavan (10 off 17) contributed with a four of his own to bring the Mystics up to 73 after 10 overs.

Shubhang Hegde nipped the partnership in the bud, sending Prajwal back to the pavilion in the 11th over. However, Smaran showed no sign of slowing down, smashing the Blasters for an additional four fours and two sixes to boost the Mystics to 116 runs in 15 overs, while KV Siddharth (5 off 8) was picked off by Shubhang, the KSCA press release added.

Praveen Dubey (29* off 14) began by rotating the strike, but soon after, chipped in with a couple of boundaries of his own to put the Mystics within touching distance. The pair took off in the 18th over, smashing the Blasters for 17. With just seven runs left to win the match in the last over, Praveen Dubey registered two consecutive boundaries to close out the game.

Earlier in the day, the Blasters’ opening pair, Chethan LR (19 off 11) and Mayank Aggarwal (21 off 16), adopted an aggressive approach to find gaps in the Mystics’ field. But a mistimed shot saw Chethan dismissed in the 4th over by Prithviraj Shekhawat. Rohan Patil (3 off 5) departed shortly after when Shashikumar Kamble ran him out with a direct throw in the next over. Vyshak Vijaykumar then struck to remove Mayank, restricting the Blasters to 45/3 at the end of the powerplay.

Bhuvan Raju (1 off 7) tried to steady the ship but was caught at the boundary by Smaran R off Vyshak in the 8th over. Skipper Shubhang Hegde (9 off 12) followed next, dismissed by Kamble, with the Blasters struggling at 72/5 in 11 overs. Naveen MG (7 off 15) also fell cheaply, while Suraj Ahuja (53 off 30) kept the innings alive with two sixes and three fours, pushing them to 103/6 in 15 overs.

Suraj stepped on the pedal in the death, bringing up his half ton in 29 balls with four fours and four sixes before being run out in the penultimate over.

Meanwhile, Rohan Naveen (34 off 18) cracked six boundaries to help the Blasters score 26 runs in the remaining nine balls and finish at 164/7.
Brief Scores: Bengaluru Blasters 164/7 in 20 overs (Suraj Ahuja 54, Rohan Naveen 34*; Vyshak Vijaykumar 3/34) vs Gulbarga Mystics 167/3 in 19.2 overs (Smaran R 89, Praveen Dubey 29*; Shubhang Hegde 2/31). (ANI)