Mysore, Aug 23 (IANS) Hubli Tigers breezed past the Mysore Warriors by five wickets at the Maharaja Trophy on Saturday. Shreesha Achar’s (3-11) shrewd spell restricted the Warriors to 129/8 before Devdutt Padikkal’s (44 off 19) explosive knock, along with Karthikeya KP’s (52 not out) well-paced half-century, completed their second consecutive victory.

Even as Taha (7 off 7) was bowled in the third over by Prasidh Krishna, Devdutt Padikkal wasted no time in taking charge. With Karthikey K.P. at the other end, the left-hander struck five fours and three sixes, including a 22-run over off Dhanush Gowda in the fifth, propelling the Tigers miles ahead of the equation. Just as the Tigers seemed unstoppable, K. Gowtham retorted to remove Padikkal and K.L.. Shrijith (0 off 1) off successive deliveries in the sixth over.

Kushaal Wadhwani then snapped Rakshith S. (7 off 6) to bring the Tigers to 71/4 at the seven-over mark. Karthikeya K.P. was joined by Abhinav Manohar (18 off 19), and the pair put on a run-a-ball partnership of 29 runs. Just as the partnership began to take shape, K. Gowtham intervened again, castling Manohar in the 12th over.

Karthikeya, who had built steadily with 23 off his first 19 deliveries, shifted gears in the 13th over, dispatching Wadhwani for a six and three boundaries. Karthikeya closed the game in style, smashing a six and a four in the 15th over to bring up a 32-ball half-century and complete the chase.

Asked to bat first, the Warriors endured a lacklustre outing, with only Karthik S.U. (53 off 37) holding firm. He waged a lone battle at the top, scoring 35 of the side’s 41 powerplay runs. His partner and skipper, Manish Pandey (2 off 8), couldn’t find his groove and was picked off by K.C. Cariappa in the fourth over.

Karthik eventually brought up a fighting half-century in 32 balls, laced with seven boundaries and two sixes, but the Tigers’ spinners soon turned the screws. Shreesha Achar was the standout, returning enviable figures of 3/11, dismissing Venkatesh M (15 off 20), Karthik S.U., and Yashovardhan Parantap (0 off 3).

Yashraj Punja was also at his deceptive best, removing Lankesh KS (4 off 8) and Harshil Dharmani (20 off 18). Dharmani and Sharath Srinivas (27 off 19) had briefly lifted hopes with a 25-run stand in 24 balls, but the damage was done. The Warriors eventually found their way to 129/8 from their 20 overs, with Sharath falling on the final ball to Sanjay Kumar Sihag.

Brief scores:

Mysore Warriors 129/8 in 20 overs (Karthik S.U. 53, Srinivas Sharath 27; Shreesha Achar 3-11, Yashraj Punja 2-19) lost to Hubli Tigers 132/5 in 14.2 overs (Devdutt Padikkal 44, Karthikeya K.P. 52 not out; K. Gowtham 3-21) by five wickets.

–IANS

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