KPL 2019: Mysuru Warriors notch first victory; Belagavi Panthers win women’s title

Mysuru: Mysuru Warriors couldn’t have picked a better time to bag their maiden win in the Karnataka Premier League (KPL 2019) as they notched a comprehensive nine-wicket victory against Hubli Tigers in front of a raucous home crowd on Sunday (August 25).

Arriving for the Mysuru leg without a win under their belt, the pressure was on Amit Verma’s men to deliver. With the support of 2,000-plus people under their sails, they restricted the Tigers to 151/8 in 20 overs before scaling the target, rather nonchalantly, in the 16th over.

The Warriors finished on 154/1 with stellar shows from Vinay NS (51), KV Siddharth (48 not out) and Aniruddha Joshi, who scored an unbeaten 46 from 17 balls, to keep alive their hope for a spot in the playoffs.

While their chances are slim with just four points from five games, this win will give them all the confidence necessary to put the right foot forward in their final league engagement against the Ballari Tuskers. A win there and favourable results from other contests could just see them in the knockout round. And Warriors have their pacemen to thank for this foot in the door.

Earlier, Stallin Hoover dictated the narrative in a mammoth chase at the SDNR Wadiyar stadium, bludgeoning an unbeaten century from 44 balls in Belagavi Panthers’ second successive win.

Arriving in the City of Palaces for the opening game of the Mysuru leg, the Panthers were in trouble when they conceded 175/4 in 20 overs to Shivamogga Lions. But once the 30-year-old combined power with a heady dose of cheekiness en route to 108 from 50 balls -  including the second-fastest KPL century after K Gowtham’s 39-ball ton, it was game over for the Lions. Manish Pandey’s 25-ball 53 not out only hastened Lions’ downfall.

Panthers raced to 180/1 in 14.4 overs to notch a nine-wicket win to improve their chances of making it to the playoffs.

Panthers crowned champs

Aditi Rajesh’s all-round effort powered Belagavi Panthers to the title in the inaugural edition of the women’s KPL at the M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday. Tuskers, opting to bat, put up a solid 102/5 in 20 overs with Vanitha VR, Pushpa K and Debasmitha Dutta coming up with useful cameos. Aditi was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 2/24.

Brief scores

Hubli Tigers 151/8 in 20 overs (Luvnith Sisodia 29, Pravin Dubey 52; Vyshak Vijaykumar 2/30, Ram Sarikh Yadav 2/26, M Venkatesh 2/30) lost to Mysuru Warriors 154/1 in 16 overs (Vinay Sagar 51, KV Siddharth 48 not out, Aniruddha Joshi 46 not out) by nine wickets.

Shivamogga Lions 175/4 in 20 overs (Arjun Hoysala 77, Abhimanyu Mithun 22, Pavan Deshpande 59; Avinash D 3/32) lost to Belagavi Panthers 180/1 in 14.4 overs (Stallin Hoover 108 not out, Manish Pandey 53 not out) by nine wickets.

Women’s match

Ballari Tuskers 102/5 in 20 overs (Vanitha VR 21, Pushpa K 25, Debasmitha Dutta 20 not out; Aditi Rajesh 2/24) lost to Belagavi Panthers 103/9 in 20 overs (Aditi Rajesh 30; Chetana B 3/19) by one wicket.