Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy | Karnataka wins maiden title after beating Maharashtra 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. 

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.