Alur grounds

Maharani Trophy KSCA T20: In a landmark moment for women’s cricket in Karnataka, the auction for the inaugural Maharani Trophy KSCA T20 was held at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Tuesday.

The five franchises - Bengaluru Blasters, Hubli Tigers, Mangaluru Dragons, Mysore Warriors, and Shivamogga Lioness - went head‑to‑head in an intense bidding war to assemble strong squads for the first-ever edition of the tournament, scheduled to begin on August 4 at the Alur Grounds. The final will be played on August 10 at the iconic M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.

With a purse of ₹10 lakh each, each franchise successfully built a formidable 16‑member squad. Bengaluru Blasters’ Niki Prasad emerged as the most expensive player of the day, fetching ₹3.70 lakh, followed by Shubha Satheesh, secured by Mysore Warriors for ₹3.10 lakh, and Mithila Vinod, signed by Shivamogga Lioness for ₹3.00 lakh.