In an encounter that set many records, Bengaluru Blasters completed the highest run chase in the history of the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20, chasing a target of 228 in 19 overs against the Shivamogga Lions at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Wednesday. The remarkable chase surpassed the previous record of 207, by the Shivamogga Lions against Gulbarga Mystics, earlier in the season. The match saw a record total of 30 sixes.
Bengaluru’s six-wicket triumph was sparked by a record partnership of 169 runs between Shubhang Hegde (85 not out) and Suraj Ahuja (82 not out), that eclipsed the destructive knocks of Abhinav Manohar (59 not out) and Rohan Naveen (45) from earlier in the encounter.
In response, Mayank Agarawal (33) ignited Bengaluru Blasters’ run chase with two boundaries in the first over. However, Chethan L.R (7) was caught and bowled by Sharath HS in the second. Bengaluru’s aggressive approach in the Power-play cost them two more wickets; Bhuvan Raju (10) fell to Vasuki Koushik, and Niranjan Naik (3) was bowled by Rajvir Wadha, leaving the Blasters at 56/3 after the powerplay.
Mayank Agarawal had raced to 33 off 16 balls before Hardik Raj sent him back to the pavilion in the seventh over. Shubhang Hegde (85) and Suraj Ahuja (82) then turned the tide, forging a gargantuan 169-run partnership off 76 balls.
Suraj Ahuja powered his way to a half-century in just 24 balls, hitting seven fours and clearing the ropes twice. With 62 runs needed from the final five overs, Shubhang Hegde unleashed an unrelenting assault in the death overs, reaching his fifty in 29 balls and squeezing 14 runs off Sharath HS in the 16th over.
Needing 20 runs from the last two overs, Hegde and Ahuja delivered with ease, sealing the chase with six balls to spare. Shubhang Hegde remained unbeaten, smashing six fours and six sixes in his 41-ball knock while Ahuja tallied nine fours and four sixes in 38 deliveries as Bengaluru Blasters completed the highest run chase in Maharaja Trophy history.
Put in to bat first, the Shivamogga Lions lost Nihal Ullal (12) to Prateek Jain and Dhruv Prabhakar (16) to Aditya Goyal as they stuttered to 35/2 by the end of the powerplay.
Mohith B.A. (56) and Shivraj S. brought the innings back on track as they erected a 45-run alliance off 37 balls. Shivraj S. (13) eventually holed out to deep square leg, off Santok Singh’s shorter one.
Abhinav Manohar (59) then joined Mohith B.A, who smashed his way to a half-century that featured three fours and four sixes. The pair added 37 runs before Lavish Kaushal ended Mohith’s stint in the middle in the 14th over, leaving the score at 111/4.
Rohan Naveen (45) and Abhinav Manohar then put on a breathtaking display of power-hitting as the last five overs of the innings earned them 102 runs on the back of 12 sixes. Their partnership was worth 108 runs and came in just 39 balls.
Abhinav Manohar brought up his sixth half-century of the campaign in only 19 balls, finishing with seven sixes. Rohan Naveen narrowly missed out on the milestone, but not before clobbering five sixes, including two in the 20th over that netted 25 runs. The Shivamogga Lions finished the innings at 227/5.
Brief scores:
Shivamogga Lions 227/5 in 20 overs (Mohit B.A. 56, Abhinav Manohar 59, Rohan Naveen 45; Aditya Goyal 2-53) lost to Bengaluru Blasters 228/4 in 19 overs (Mayank Agarawal 33, Shubhang Hegde 85, Suraj Ahuja 82; Sharath HS 2-47) 6 wickets.
