Mysuru (Karnataka) [India], August 18 : The Mangaluru Dragons finally met their match at the Maharaja Trophy as Chethan LR's half-century guided the Bengaluru Blasters to a three-wicket victory over the table-toppers.
With the match reduced to 19 overs a side, Lochan Gowda and Sharath BR provided an explosive start to lift the Dragons to 174/6, but two-wicket hauls from Prateek Jain (2/45) and Mohsin Khan (2/26) kept them in check before the Blasters' batting unit saw them home. Kranthi Kumar (2/28) was the pick of the Dragons' attack yet again with a two-wicket haul, as per a press release from Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA).
The Blasters' top order provided the early impetus. Openers, Chethan LR (74 off 46) and Rohan Patil (26 off 13) propelled them to 69/1 by the end of the powerplay. Rohan Patil was trapped LBW by Macneil Noronha in the fifth over, but Chethan continued his red-hot form, feasting on the pacers and spinners alike on his way to a 30-ball half-century.
After Mayank Agarawal 's (20 off 9) breezy knock with three fours and a six that ended at the hands of Sachin Shinde, Bhuvan Raju (14 off 15) joined Chethan LR to navigate the middle overs with a stand of 55 runs in 35 balls. Bhuvan's supporting act was cut short in the 13th over by skipper, Shreyas Gopal, bringing the score to 129/3 in 12.3 overs.
Suraj Ahuja (21 off 12) also logged a lively knock to join Chethan in a 25-run partnership, with Chethan being the more restrained of the two. Ahuja was run out in the 16th over, and Shreevathsa Acharya dismissed Chethan, but the damage was done.
Though the Blasters faced a few anxious moments in the death, Naveen MG (4* off 8) and Vidyadhar Patil (6* off 3) scored the six runs needed in the final over to complete a comprehensive victory.
Invited to bat first, the opening pair of Lochan Gowda (49 off 32) and Sharath BR (45 off 22) smashed boundaries at will to power the Dragons to the highest powerplay score of the season with 82 runs in 5.4 overs (powerplay reduced due to rain). Lochan Gowda plundered seven fours and two sixes while Sharath cracked six fours and two sixes as the pair put on 90 runs in 45 balls.
Sharath BR looked menacing with 40 runs in his first 14 balls, but both openers missed out on their half-centuries as Mohsin Khan put the squeeze on the Dragons in the middle phase. Mohsin's frugal spell accounted for Lochan Gowda in the seventh over and then rattled Sharath BR's stumps in the ninth over.
The Dragons slipped further when Thippa Reddy fell to Naveen MG, and Prateek Jain picked up two wickets, removing Macneil Noronha and Aadarsh Prajwal to leave them struggling at 121/4 in 13.4 overs.
Shivaraj S (33* off 15) salvaged the innings with a late flourish, including two fours and three sixes, putting on 46 runs in 27 balls with Shreyas Gopal (12 off 14) to post 174/6 in 19 overs.
Brief Scores Mangaluru Dragons 174/6 in 19 overs (Lochan Gowda 49, Sharath BR 45; Prateek Jain 2/45, Mohsin Khan 2/26) vs Bengaluru Blasters 175/7 in 18.3 overs (Chethan LR 74, Rohan Patil 26; Kranthi Kumar 2/28).
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