Coastal Kings Mangaluru scored an emphatic eight-wicket victory (VJD target) over Shivamogga Yodhas in the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 tournament on Sunday. The match was reduced to 17 overs a side due to rain. Batting first, Shivamogga Yodhas could manage only 113 for eight in their 17 overs as their batting proved brittle yet again, and that led to their second successive defeat.
For the winners, who reached the revised target with utmost comfort in just 12.4 overs, losing just two wickets, veteran medium pacer Vasuki Koushik (2-15) did the early damage with a double blow in his second over, while 17-year-old debutant BR Rathan (3-16) broke the lower-order on his debut. It was their third victory in five matches and helped them reduce the margin with the table toppers Bengaluru Blasters to a solitary point and move to second position on seven points.
For the Yodhas, it was their second successive defeat and fourth in five matches. They stay in fourth with four points from five matches.
Coastal Kings openers Venkatesh M and Nikin Jose added 81 runs in just 7.5 overs to effectively put the match beyond the reach of the Yodhas. Venkatesh's 25-ball 45 consisted of four boundaries and three sixes while Jose continued his good form with 31 (25 balls, 2 fours, 2 sixes). Siddharth Akhil (22 not out, 19 balls, 2 fours) and Rajvir Wadhwa (10 not out, 7 balls, 1 six) completed the formalities without much fuss.
Earlier, during Yodha's batting, Coastal Kings' 33-year-old multi-talented Koushik first clean bowled opener Naveen MG (10, 10 balls, 1 four, 1 six) of the fourth ball of his second over and then ensured K V Aneesh's poor form continued as he dismissed him for another golden duck, caught by Jose, off the very next delivery. Captain Smaran Ravichandran (6, 7 balls) too did not last long as Dheeraj Gowda got rid of him, and once reliable opener Luvnith Sisodia, who has already scored three half centuries so far, fell for another top score of 35 (28 balls, 4 fours and 1 six) in the ninth over, the team was in deep trouble at 58 for four.
The remarkably talented debutant Rathan then entered the scene and completed the destruction in dramatic style, claiming the last three wickets to fall.
Coastal Kings Mangaluru beat Shivamogga Yodhas by eight wickets (17 overs game due to rain) Shivamogga Yodhas 113-8 (Luvnith Sisodia 35, Harshil Dharmani 28; Vasuki Koushik 2-15, BR Rathan 3-16) vs Coastal Kings Manguluru 118-2 in 12.4 overs (Muralidhara Venkatesh 45, Nikin Jose 31; Siddharth Akhil 22 not out, Rajvir Wadhwa 10 not out; Bheem Rao Navale 2-24). (ANI)
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