Hubbali, June 27 (IANS) Experienced batter Manish Pandey rolled back the years with a composed unbeaten 43 as Gulbarga Mystics registered a thrilling three-wicket victory over Mysuru Warriors in the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 Tournament in Hubbali on Saturday.

Chasing a modest target of 156, the Mystics appeared to be cruising at 66 for one before a dramatic collapse triggered by Ritesh Bhatkal, reduced them to 77 for four. Pandey then anchored the chase with his trademark calmness, steering his side home with seven balls to spare.

Batting at No. 6, Pandey remained unbeaten on 43 off 31 deliveries, striking five boundaries, as he held his nerve despite wickets falling around him. B R Sharath provided the early impetus with a brisk 49 off 27 balls, laced with four fours and three sixes.

Bhatkal produced an inspired spell of 4 for 20 to drag the Warriors back into the contest. The experienced off-spinner first broke the opening stand by dismissing Lochan Gowda (18) before ripping through the middle order. He removed Prakhar Chaturvedi (4), Macneil Noronha (1), and Thippa Reddy (2) in a devastating burst to leave the Mystics in trouble. However, his efforts ultimately went unrewarded.

Earlier, put in to bat, Mysuru Warriors once again failed to convert promising starts into a competitive total, finishing on 155 for seven.

Openers LR Chethan (24 off 12 balls, three sixes) and S U Karthik (20) added 36 for the first wicket before the innings lost momentum. Vishal Onat fell cheaply as the Warriors reached 56 for two at the end of the Power-play.

The innings was then rebuilt by K P Karthikeya, who struck a fighting 63 off 43 balls with two fours and four sixes. Arriving at the crease with the score at 50 for two, the 20-year-old carried the batting through the middle and latter stages, adding valuable runs with the lower order.

Karthikeya was run out off the final ball of the innings after failing to beat a sharp throw from Pandey in the deep, capping a fine all-round contribution from the former India international.

With their third win in five matches, Gulbarga Mystics moved up to second place on the points table with six points, leapfrogging Coastal Kings Mangaluru and trailing leaders Bengaluru Blasters by two points.

Mysuru Warriors, meanwhile, slumped to their fourth defeat in five matches and remain rooted to the bottom of the standings with two points.

Brief scores:

Mysuru Warriors 155/7 in 20 overs (KP Karthikeya 63, LR Chethan 24, S U Karthik 20; Ronit More 2/31) lost to Gulbarga Mystics 156/7 in 18.5 overs (B R Sharath 49, Manish Pandey 43 not out, Vijaykumar Kranthi Kumar 21; Ritesh Bhatkal 4/20, K P Karthikeya 2/35) by three wickets.

–IANS

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