Bengaluru Blasters secured a spot in the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 tournament final by defeating Coastal Kings Mangaluru by 12 runs in Qualifier 1 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Despite a shaky start at 52/5, the Blasters staged a remarkable comeback with a 133-run partnership between captain Shubhang Hegde and Praveen Dubey, posting 185/5. Samit Dravid’s 3-30 bowling performance helped restrict Coastal Kings to 173/6.
Put in to bat, Bengaluru Blasters faced early setbacks, falling to 52/5 within eight overs due to Vasuki Koushik and Santokh Singh’s bowling. However, Hegde and Dubey’s resilient partnership of 133 runs off 74 deliveries, including a late surge of 78 runs in the final five overs, steered the Blasters back into control of the match.
Dubey’s aggressive innings of 69 not out off 38 balls, complemented by Hegde’s anchoring 65 not out off 52 balls, powered Bengaluru Blasters to a competitive total of 185/5. In response, Coastal Kings struggled in their chase, losing key wickets early on and eventually falling short by 12 runs.
Chasing 186, Coastal Kings faced early setbacks losing crucial wickets in the power-play. Despite partnerships from Nikin Jose, Prajwal Pavan, Siddharth Akhil, and Suraj Ahuja, they couldn’t overcome the mounting required run rate. Bengaluru Blasters’ victory means Coastal Kings Mangaluru will now battle Shivamogga Yodhas in Qualifier 2 for the final spot.
