Gulbarga Mystics vs Mangalore United (PC: Screengrab/Twitter/@GulbargaMystics)
Gulbarga Mystics (GBM) take the cake as Mangalore United (MU) were completely obliterated, suffering a 28-run defeat at the hands of the former in the 24th match of the Maharaja T20 League 2022.
Manish Pandey's grit highlighted the first innings, while Gulbarga's bowlers led an outright domination in the latter half of the fixture.
Karthik, Bhatia shines in Mangalore's surrender
Chasing 165 runs, the United were forced out of the game, courtesy, Pranav Bhatia, who triggered the early collapse. Starting from 36/3, the 67-run partnership between Abhinav Manohar and Sujay Sanjay Sateri led Mangalore's resurgence.
However, what followed was a great batting travesty as the Ravikumar Samarth-led side keeled over in a sensational manner. Condanda Ajit Karthik and Kushaal Wadhwani claimed two and three wickets, respectively, as Mangalore got done and dusted at 136 runs.
Sensible Pandey rescues Mystics
Asked to bat first, Gulbarga were seen in troubled waters. The Mystics were thrown in at the deep end, especially after a few of their mighty batters were sent packing in no time, leaving them to reel at 57/5 in the ninth over.
However, riding on skipper Pandey's special effort, the side's travails diminished. In another battle against the odds, it was time for Gulbarga's captain to pull a rabbit out of the hat.
Pandey's 40-ball 58 resurrected the ship. Karthik followed suit with his 38-run knock, while Ritesh Bhatkal's quickfire 18 runs carried the team to 164-6 in 20 overs.
Upcoming fixtures
Mangalore United are next slated to face Shivamogga Strikers on August 20. Gulbarga Mystics will be seen in action against Mysore Warriors on August 21.
Brief scores:
Gulbarga Mystics - 164/6 (20)
Manish Pandey 58 (40), Codanda Ajit Karthik 38* (32);
Vyshak Vijay Kumar 2-31 (4), HS Sharath 2-43 (4)
Mangalore United - 136/10 (18.4)
Abhinav Manohar 51 (34);
Kushaal Wadhwani 3-48 (4), Codanda Ajit Karthik 2-9 (3.4)
Gulbarga Mystics won by 28 runs
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