Captain Karun Nair played a pivotal role in Coastal Kings Mangaluru’s thrilling three-run victory over Gulbarga Mystics in the final league match of the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 tournament at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Despite the playoff spots already being decided, the match provided an exciting finish with the Mystics falling short in their chase of 170 runs.
Coastal Kings posted 169-9 and then restricted the Mystics to 166/7, securing their fifth win in 10 matches and finishing second in the standings with 11 points. The Bengaluru Blasters topped the table with 18 points, followed by Shivamogga Yodhas (10) and Mysore Warriors (9). Gulbarga Mystics ended in fifth place with six points, ahead of Hubli Tigers on net run rate.
The play-offs are set to begin with the Shivamogga Yodhas facing the Mysore Warriors in the Eliminator, while the Bengaluru Blasters will take on the Coastal Kings Mangaluru in Qualifier 1.
Captain Nair’s impressive 65 off 37 balls, including eight fours and two sixes, anchored the Coastal Kings’ innings. His partnership contributions with Prajwal Pavan (35) and Suraj Ahuja were crucial in setting up the total. Nair’s total runs for the season now stand at 294 from nine innings.
The Mystics started aggressively with openers Macneil Noronha and Aarav Mahesh, reaching 58 without loss in the Powerplay and adding 70 for the first wicket. Despite efforts from Noronha (44) and Aarav (27), the Kings’ bowlers, led by Kranthi Kumar (3-38) and Suhas Purushotham (2-27), managed to restrict the Mystics.
