Maharaja Trophy: Bhuvan Raju guides Bengaluru Blasters to thrilling victory over Mysore

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], August 17 (ANI): Bhuvan Raju's explosive half-century powered the Bengaluru Blasters to a thrilling victory over the Mysore Warriors, securing their second consecutive win in the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20.
In a match reduced to 18 overs per side, Bengaluru chased down a challenging target of 183. Raju's 51 off just 24 balls, set the tone for the successful chase that saw 16 sixes. Bengaluru's Naveen MG's (4/25) earlier spell was pivotal in keeping Mysore's total within reach despite strong performances from Mysore's Manoj Bhandage (58*) and Harshil Dhamani (50).
The Bengaluru Blasters's run chase lost Mayank Agarwal (1) early to CA Karthik, but Bhuvan Raju blitzed four sixes, three of which came against J Suchith while Chethan LR (33) cleared the ropes twice to score 54 runs in the first six overs.
The assault did not abate as Bhuvan Raju went on to strike two sixes of Dhanush Gowda in the eight over and eventually registered the quickest half-century of the season, reaching the landmark in just 23 balls before he was run out.
CA Karthik returned to the attack and scalped Chethan LR in the 10th over. The incoming batsman, Suraj Ahuja (39) clobbered two sixes and a four in the very same over to place Bengaluru in the driver's seat at 112/2. Suraj Ahuja powered Bengaluru forward, hitting two more sixes before his 18-ball knock was derailed by Gautam Mishra.
With five overs remaining, Bengaluru needed 43 runs, and Shubhang Hedge (27*) remained unbeaten to help them complete a commanding victory.
Earlier in the match, Mysore's CA Karthik (27) and SU Karthik (12) hammered 16 runs off the first over to set the tone. CA Karthik found another 16 runs in the second over, including two sixes and a four before he was dismissed by Aditya Goyal while SU Karthik became the first of Naveen MG's four wickets.
At the end of the powerplay, Mysore were placed at 51/2. Captain Karun Nair worked two deft boundaries before a stellar piece of fielding by Kranthi Kumar ran him out. Naveen MG further dented Mysore as he picked up two wickets in consecutive deliveries, including Samit Dravid (7) and Sumit Kumar (0).
While the run rate staggered initially, Manoj Bhandage (58*) and Harshil Dhamani's (50) alliance recovered to put on 85 runs in 57 balls and dominated the middle phase of the innings. In the 14th over, Dhamani broke the shackles and took Shubhang Hedge (27*) for two fours and two sixes to catapult Mysore to 129/5.
Dhamani's stint at the crease was ended by Naveen MG soon after he completed a 31-ball half-century that included six fours and two sixes.
Bhandage's restrained knock bloomed into an onslaught in the final over as he creamed Lavish Kaushal for two sixes and three fours to accumulate 26 runs. Bhandage's half-century came in 32 balls, helping Mysore surge to 182/6 in 18 overs. (ANI)