For the second straight year, teen sensation Shubhang Hegde hogged the limelight at the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) annual awards at the Chinnaswamy stadium here on Saturday.

The 15-year-old all-rounder, who had clinched four awards last season, bagged three prizes for his consistent performances in different tournaments held during the 2016-17 season.

The Delhi Public School (South) student was adjudged the best bowler in three competitions –– Division I, under-16 inter-school tournament for the KSCA Cup, Vijay Merchant Trophy (U-16) and Cooch Behar Trophy (U-19).

In the senior section, opener R Samarth and Arjun Hoysala bagged a double each. The right-handed opener Samarth won the best batsman award in Ranji Trophy and in the Group I, Divison I league for Sir Mirza Ismail shield.

Hoysala, who made his Ranji Trophy debut last year, was declared the best batsman in the Group I, Division II league for the Sri MAT Acharya Shield and in the Group II, Division I league.

Development projects
Aiming to further enhance the infrastructure and promote the development of the game, KSCA announced the buying of lands in Gadag and Kodagu districts.

“We are in the process of acquiring lands in Vijayapura, Myrusu and Mangaluru. We intend to work more on the development of the sport in many districts of the state,” said KSCA secretary Sudhakar Rao.

‘Flattered to deceive’
Rao said that Karnataka enjoyed a satisfying season overall but the senior team could have achieved more than what they did. “Overall, it was a satisfying season for Karnataka cricket but I am frank enough to concede that the senior team fell short of expectations,” he said.

“However, we are proud that three cricketers of our state -- KL Rahul, Karun Nair and Manish Pandey -- represented the country,” he added.

Honoured
India’s women captain Shanta Rangaswamy and veteran umpire Shahvir Tarapore were also felicitated at the awards. Shanta, who won the BCCI Lifetime Achievement award for women early this month, was feted for being the first woman cricketer to bag such an honour while Shahvir was felicitated for his milestone of officiating in 100 first-class matches.