KPL 2018 | KN Bharath special guides Bijapur Bulls to win after Cariappa magic

Bijapur Bulls entered the encounter against Bellary Tuskers in search for their first win of the tournament after losing their first match to Hubli Tigers and rain disrupted the game against Belagavi Panthers and Bangalore Blasters in the Hubli phase of the tournament. Bharat Chipli won the toss for the Bulls and opted to bowl first at the Srikantadatta Narasimha Raja Wadiyar Ground in Mysore in the 14th match of KPL 2018.

However, the Tuskers, led by CM Gautam, got off to one of the best starts of the tournament as openers - Rohan Kadam and Karthik CA looked in fine touch early in the innings. But Just in his second ball, KC Cariappa trapped Karthik in front of the wicket and got the danger man out for 45. The Tuskers continued to rage on with the runs as Devdutt Padikkal joined in on the action with Kadam, who was already at the crease. But a breakthrough in the 14th over by another spinner, KP Appanna, in the form of Paddikal’s wicket ended the partnership at 49 runs itself.

It seemed to be a very difficult run chase for the last year's runners-up considering their fragile batting display against the Vinay Kumar-led Hubli Tigers. However, unlike that game in Bengaluru, Shishir Bhavane and Bharath Chipli combined together to stitch a sensible partnership of 49 runs inside the powerplay. While Mir Kunnain Abbas fell to make a significant contribution, fans were in for a KN Bharath special who waltzed his way to score a breath-taking 72 off 47 balls. Although SL Akshay created some trouble and rose a flicker of hope in the Tuskers dug-out, a penultimate six by Bharath made sure that the Bulls are alive to fight for another day and also have made the qualification scenario more interesting.