Kushaal wadhwani

Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20: 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.