Panthers humble champions Bulls

 Defending champions Bijapur Bulls suffered a setback in their very first outing in the fifth edition of the Karbonn Karnataka Premier League when a Mayank Agarwal-inspired innings helped Belagavi Panthers to script a five-wicket win with three balls to spare in an exciting T20 clash at the KSCA Stadium in Rajnagar here on Saturday.

The Bulls struggled with a wet ball as neither their bowlers nor fielders were able to circumvent the difficulties imposed by it. A few catches went abegging while the bowlers failed to put the ball in the right areas while defending a competitive target.

The Panthers put Bijapur Bulls in to bat with a hope of grabbing early wickets, but that was not to be, as Bijapur opener, Samarth, exhibited an excellent repertoire of strokes, en route to a well-crafted 64 off 47 balls.

However, frequent rain interruptions stalled their momentum, resulting in losing wickets at crucial junctures in the innings. Left-arm spinner, Abhishek Sakuja picked up two for 29 from his four overs, as the Bijapur Bulls were restricted to a modest 137 for seven.

The Panthers openers, Mayank and Kaunain Abbas, got the chase off to a solid start. Both put on 45 in 7.5 overs, before Abbas (17) fell to leg spinner Sinan Khadir, attempting a wild slog over mid-wicket.

Shoaib Manager (2) and Vinay Kumar (6) fell in quick succession, but Mayank and SK Jain tried to steady the ship before Jain became Sinan’s second wicket for the night. Sinan returned figures of three for 16.

However, an unfazed Mayank, who has been in blistering form lately, slammed 74 off 57 balls, and aided by a late attacking sprint from Pravin Dubey, sealed the game for his side in style.

Warriors win

The second match of the daybetween Mangaluru United and Mysuru Warriors was delayed for ten minutes following a brief spell of showers. 

Mangaluru, who won the toss and chose to bat, put up a fighting total of 148 for seven in their allotted 20 overs. However, the Warriors put up a brave fight to notch a convincing win after scoring 149 for three in just 17.1 overs. CM Gautham’s 64 and M Nidesh’s 54 went in vain as a blistering knock from man of the match Raju Bhatkal (48 off 29 balls) and a valuable contribution from K Gowtham (36) spurred the Warriors to victory. 

Among the bowlers, Adithya Sagar (2/27) and Vyshak Kumar (2/31) contributed to the Warriors’  cause with good bowling performances, claiming two wickets apiece.

Agencies

Brief scores: Bijapur Bulls: 137/7 (Samarth 64; Sinan-3-18, P Shekawat 2-30) lt to Belagavi Panthers: 141/5 (M Agrawal 74; Sharath 2-15, Sakuja 2-29); Mangaluru United: 148/7 in 20 overs (CM Gautam 64, M Nidesh 54; Adithya Sagar 2-27, Vyshak Kumar 2-31) lt to Mysuru Warriors: 149/3 in 17.1 overs (Raju Bhatkal 48, K Gowtham 36).