Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy | Karnataka wins maiden title after beating Maharashtra by 8 wickets

Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy | Karnataka wins maiden title after beating Maharashtra by 8 wickets

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Karnataka were crowned the new Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 champions as they thrashed Maharashtra by eight wickets in the final in Indore. Mayank Agarwal helped the side chase down the target of 156 in just 18.3 overs in the summit clash after some economical bowling by them in the first half.

Brief scores: Maharashtra 155/4 (Naushad Shaikh 69*, Rahul Tripathi 30; Abhimanyu Mithun 2/24) lost to Karnataka 159/2 (Mayank Agarwal 85*, Rohan Kadam 60; Divyang Himganekar 1-21) by 8 wickets

Unbeaten in the tournament, Karnataka won the toss and invited Maharashtra to bat first at the Holkar Stadium in Indore.

Maharashtra openers weren't quite able to provide the kind of start that the team needed and Rituraj Gaikwad was the first to depart in the fifth over when he was picked up by Abhimanyu Mithun for 12. Vijay Zol (8) and skipper Rahul Tripathy (30) also went back into the hut soon after the first wicket in the eighth and 10th over respectively leaving Maharashtra in a spot of bother with 55/3 inside 10 overs. 

However, Ankit Bwne and Naushad Shaikh came to the rescue as they added 81 runs for the fourth wicket and batted with a good pace to take Maharashtra to a respectable total. Bawne became the second victim of Mithun in the 18th over as he got out for29 while Shaikh remained unbeaten on 69 off 41 deliveries. Wicketkeeper Nikhil Naik was the other unbeaten batsman for Maharashtra as they ended the innings with 155/4 in 20 overs.

Defending an average total, Samad Fallah gave Maharashtra a great start with the ball as he sent BR Sharath back in the third over when Karnataka was only 14/1. However, opener Rohan Kadam and experienced Mayank Agarwal then took up the responsibility and the South Indian team didn’t lose a wicket after that till they cross the 100-run mark. Divyang Himganekar gave an opening for Maharashtra by claiming the wicket of Kadam (60) after a 92-run stand for the second wicket but Agarwal and Karun Nair saw the team past the finishing line with 1.3 overs to spare. Agarwal remained not out for 85 off 57 balls with the help of six fours and three sixes. 

Agarwal was adjudged Man of the Match for his match-winning knock in the final as Karnataka registered its 14th successive win in T20 cricket which is a record in Indian domestic cricket.

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