Bengaluru, June 2 (IANS) Kalyani Bengaluru Blasters and Gulbarga Mystics will raise the curtain on the fifth edition of the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 on June 20, before Mysore Warriors take on debutants Shivamogga Yodhas in the second match of the opening-day double-header. The tournament will be held across three centres — Mysuru, Hubballi, and Bengaluru — culminating on July 12.

Coastal Kings Mangaluru, also a new franchise this season, will make their tournament debut against Hubli Tigers on June 21.

In line with the Karnataka State Cricket Association’s vision of taking top-quality cricket to fans across the state, the tournament will be staged across three centres. The Mysuru-leg will be held from June 20 to 26, before the action shifts to Hubballi, from June 27 to July 3. The tournament will then move to Bengaluru from July 5 to 12.

Mysuru and Hubballi will host 12 matches each, while Bengaluru will stage 10 matches, including Qualifier 1, the Eliminator, Qualifier 2, and the Final, as the six franchises battle for the coveted title.

The player auction for Season 5 will be held on June 5 in Bengaluru, with more than 150 players set to go under the hammer as franchises assemble their squads for the upcoming edition of the tournament. The auction will be streamed live between 9 am and 1 pm on Sony Ten 5 HD/SD.

Speaking on the schedule announcement, M.S. Keshava, Governing Council Chairman, Maharaja Trophy, said, “We are delighted to unveil the schedule for the fifth edition of the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20. One of our key objectives has been to take top-quality cricket to fans across Karnataka, and hosting matches in Mysuru, Hubballi, and Bengaluru allows us to do exactly that.

“We are particularly pleased to see the tournament return to multiple centres, while the addition of Coastal Kings Mangaluru and Shivamogga Yodhas marks an exciting new chapter for the competition. We look forward to another highly competitive season and a wonderful experience for players and fans alike,” he added.

–IANS

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