Mysuru, June 25 (IANS) Gulbarga Mystics returned to winning ways with a commanding seven-wicket victory over Hubli Tigers in the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 Tournament on Thursday, climbing to third place in the standings as the Mysuru leg of the tournament came to an end.

In a low-scoring contest, Hubli Tigers struggled for momentum throughout their innings, losing wickets at regular intervals before finishing on 119 for nine in 20 overs.

The Tigers’ highest partnership came from the final wicket, with Shikhar Shetty (27 not out off 17 balls; 2 fours, 2 sixes) and Vaibhav Sharma (4 not out) adding 31 runs, highlighting the batting side’s overall struggles. Shetty’s late flourish, which included 17 runs in the final over, helped the Hubli Tigers avoid being bowled out for under 100.

Mayank Agarwal (16) and Abhinav Manohar (21) failed to convert their starts, while medium pacer Kranthi Kumar starred with the ball, returning impressive figures of 3 for 17 from three overs, including nine dot balls.

Chasing 120, the Gulbarga Mystics lost two early wickets before Thippa Reddy (34 not out off 24 balls; 4 fours) and Macneil Noronha (42 not out off 29 balls; 3 fours, 3 sixes) steadied the innings with an unbeaten partnership to guide their side home in just 13.2 overs with seven wickets in hand.

With the Mysore leg of the tournament concluding, Bengaluru Blasters lead the table with six points from three wins, while Coastal Kings Mangaluru are second with five points from two wins and one washed-out match.

The Gulbarga Mystics moved up to third with four points from four matches following their second win of the campaign, while Hubli Tigers slipped to fifth after suffering consecutive defeats.

Coastal Kings Mangaluru win

Earlier, Karun Nair and Shreyas Gopal complemented each other to steer Coastal Kings Mangaluru to a six-wicket victory over Mysore Warriors on Thursday.

The Coastal Kings were back in action less than 24 hours after losing to Bangalore Blasters by 20 runs on Wednesday. But they made light work of the fatigue factor with Nair and Gopal successfully chasing a 192-run target with a stunning and decisive 60-ball 123 run partnership for the fourth wicket.

The veteran duo, who have featured in many epic battles both for Karnataka and many franchises down the years, turned the tables after the Coastal Kings were reduced to 42-3 by the fifth over.

Nair, the top pick at Rs18-lakh in this year’s auction, was at his flamboyant best making a 32-ball 61 (6 fours, three sixes) before he got out going for another big hit.

The tournament now shifts to Hubballi, with play resuming on Saturday.

Brief scores:

Hubli Tigers 119/9 in 20 overs (Shikhar Shetty 27 not out; Kranthi Kumar 3/17) lost to Gulbarga Mystics 120/3 in 13.2 overs (Thippa Reddy 34 not out, Macneil Noronha 42 not out; Shikhar Shetty 2/26) by seven wickets

–IANS

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