Mysuru, June 22 (IANS) Captain Aneeshwar Gautam produced a composed unbeaten half-century as Hubli Tigers registered a comprehensive seven-wicket victory over defending champions Mysore Warriors in the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 tournament at the Srikantadatta Narasimha Raja Wadiyar Ground in Mysuru on Monday.

After their opening fixture against Coastal Kings Mangaluru was washed out, the Tigers made an emphatic statement in their first completed game of the season. Chasing a modest target of 162, they remained in control throughout the innings and comfortably reached 162/3 with 15 balls to spare.

The chase got off to a shaky start when Preethesh Ingle was dismissed off just the second ball of the innings, caught by Lavish Kaushal without a run on board. However, Mohammad Taha and Mayank Agarwal quickly steadied the innings, taking the attack to the Mysuru bowlers.

Taha was particularly severe on anything short or wide, punishing the bowlers with an array of attacking strokes. Mysuru captain Vyshak Vijaykumar endured a difficult outing, conceding 47 runs from his four overs.

Taha and Agarwal added 49 runs in just 4.3 overs for the second wicket to steer the chase. Agarwal departed for a brisk 19 off 11 balls, including three boundaries, but Taha continued his aggressive approach. He brought up his half-century off just 31 deliveries with a towering six over midwicket that sailed out of the stadium.

Taha’s entertaining innings of 57 from 38 balls, featuring five fours and three sixes, laid the perfect platform before he was dismissed with 41 runs still required. Gautam then anchored the chase with a captain’s knock, finishing unbeaten on 60 off 41 deliveries, striking two fours and four sixes. Abhinav Manohar provided the finishing touches with an unbeaten 16 as Hubli Tigers sealed a convincing victory.

Earlier, Mysuru Warriors failed to capitalise after making a promising start. Contributions from L R Chethan (18), S U Karthik (35), Ritesh Bhatkal (46), and K P Karthikeya (27) gave the innings momentum, but none converted their starts into a substantial score.

Having reached 99/2 in the 11th over, the defending champions suffered a dramatic collapse, losing their remaining eight wickets for just 62 runs. The lower order failed to offer any resistance as the Warriors were bowled out for 161 in 19.2 overs.

Hardik Raj and L R Kumar starred with the ball, claiming three wickets apiece to trigger the collapse and set up Hubli Tigers’ comfortable chase.

Brief scores:

Mysore Warriors 161 all out in 19.2 overs (Ritesh Bhatkal 46, SU Karthik 35, KP Karthikeya 27; Hardik Raj 3-25, L R Kumar 3-14) lost to Hubli Tigers 162/3 in 17.3 overs (Aneeshwar Gautam 60*; Mohammad Taha 57; Madhav Bajaj 2-27) by seven wickets.

–IANS

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