KPL 2015: Match 2: Debutant team Namma Shivamogga edges out over defending champions Mysuru Warriors

KPL 2015: Match 2: Debutant team Namma Shivamogga edges out over defending champions Mysuru Warriors: Defending champions of Karnataka Premier League, Mysuru Warriors started off the 4th edition of the league in a disappointing manner as they lost to the debutant team of KPL 2015, Namma Shivamogga by 6 wickets in a last over thriller at Hubli.

Chasing Mysuru Warriors’ 160, Namma Shivamogga got off to a flier by scoring 39 in 4 overs itself as Sadiq Kirmani and Abrar Kazi kept the scoreboard racing with boundaries. Finally Mysuru Warriors’ wait came to an end when Abrar Kazi got run out by a brilliant throw from captain Manish Pandey to the keeper’s end. Runs kept coming even after the breakthrough and Manish Pandey tried to restrict the opposition with spinners and was successful at doing that.

Namma Shivamogga’s run-rate came down to 8.1 at half a stage from a point where they were close to 10 an over. Spinner Shantharaj gave double break to the Warriors in 11th over putting Shivamogga on the back foot. Kauain Abbas was first to go when he struck a big shot towards long on, where Arjun Hoysala took a brilliantly judged catch at boundary line. Couple of balls later, Sadiq Kirmani got his stumps shattered trying play across to a quicker ball from Shantharaj. With 2 new batsmen Stuart Binny and Shreyas Gopal at crease, required rate rose up to 10 with 6 overs to go. However with the both batsmen striking well, the next 3 overs yielded 35 runs which brought down the equation to 23 from last 3 overs.

18th over bowled by CK Akshay went for 8 runs but also they also suffered a set back as captain Stuart Binny holed out to Suchith at mid-wicket. David Mathias started the penultimate over by conceding just 1 run in 3 balls but Gopal struck back to back boundaries towards point region and brought down the scenario to 5  from last over. Gopal did not waste much of time as he swept the first ball of final over to a boundary and picked up a single of next ball to seal a 6-wicket win for his side with an unbeaten 49 off 30 balls. Gopal’s unbeaten innings of 49 had 7 fours and a six.

Earlier, Manish Pandey, who was happy despite being put into bat by Namma Shivamogga’s captain Stuart Binny, opened the innings for his side along with Arjun Hoysala. Pandey tried for big shots from the first over itself whereas Arjun was happy punishing the odd deliveries to boundaries. Both the batsmen shared a stand of 56 for opening wicket in 7.4 overs before Manish Pandey’s innings of 26 from 22 balls came to an end when he tried to play a lofted shot off the bowling of leg spinner Sinan Khadir and the ball ended up straight into the hands of long off.

Later Manjesh Reddy, who was 2nd leading run scorer for Mysuru Warriors in last season, joined Arjun Hoysala at crease. Manjesh, who got an interesting fame of either scoring big or getting out for duck during the last season, extended his reputation by aiming towards a big innings from the first ball itself. Manjesh, who got off the mark with a boundary on the very first ball and kept striking boundaries regularly. When a stand between the two batsmen started to grow well, Arjun Hoysala got stumped of the bowling of left arm spinner Abrar Kazi after playing a commendable innings of 44 off 37 balls. Arjun’s dismissal brought an end to 39-run stand which came in just 4.1 overs.

Another good partnership started to form between Manjesh and CM Gautam but was halted by Sinan Khadir who got Gautam stumped for 9. Couple of balls later, Manjesh Reddy was caught at long on trying to strike big against Bhavesh Gulecha, falling 5 runs short of a well deserved fifty. Manjesh’s 45 came in just 27 balls which included 8 fours. G Naveen and Jagadeesha Suchith got out cheaply towards the end, trying to score quick runs. But it was Krishnappa Gowtham with a cool striking in last couple of overs that took Mysuru Warriors to a good total of 160. Gowtham scored an unbeaten 26 in just 12 balls with 3 fours and six, the only maximum of Mysuru Warriors’ innings.

Brief Scorecard:

Mysuru Warriors: 160 for 6 in 20 overs (MV Manjesh Reddy 45, AA Hoysala 44, K Gowtham 26*, MK Pandey 26; SA Khadir 2/35)

Namma Shivamogga: 161 for 4 in 19.2 overs (S Gopal 49*, SH Kirmani 29; G Shantharaj 2/35, CK Akshay 1/18)