Maharaja Trophy is a gateway to familiarise young talents with T20 and franchise cricket: Mayank Agarwal

Mayank Agarwal of Karnataka. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Bengaluru, August 12 2023: A delightful day of double header action awaits fans as the reigning champions, Gulbarga Mystics are all set to take on Bangalore Blasters in the first match of the highly awaited second edition of the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 on Sunday, August 13. The second encounter of the day will feature the Hubli Tigers facing off against the Mysore Warriors.

Also featuring in the tournament are two new entrants, Shivamogga Lions and Mangaluru Dragons who will face each other on Monday to kick off their inaugural campaigns. All matches will unfold at the iconic M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, providing young talents from across Karnataka with a platform to shine alongside the likes of established players such as Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair and Manish Pandey.

Last season’s runners up, the Bangalore Blasters will yet again be led by the top run scorer from last season, ace batsman Mayank Agarwal. The squad comprises Vidyadhar Patil who was the leading wicket taker in the previous edition along with the likes of Pavan Deshpande, Shubhang Hegde, Rishi Bopanna and Kumar L R. Speaking ahead of their opening match, skipper Mayank Agarwal said, “Maharaja Trophy is a gateway to familiarize young talents with T20 and franchise cricket, we are really looking forward to it.”

Champions of the inaugural edition of the Maharaja Trophy, the Gulbarga Mystics are all set to reclaim their title, with the lethal pacer Vyshak Vijaykumar leading the team as captain. To supplement the experience of seasoned campaigners like Appanna KP and Amit Verma, the team will also feature exciting youngsters such as Chethan LR and Aneesh KV.

Karun Nair returns to the Mysore Warriors as their captain. The team is back with a reinvigorated squad that consists of Indian fast bowler, Prasidh Krishna, left arm spinner Suchith J and the breakout performer from last year, all-rounder Manoj Bhandage. Expressing his confidence on the squad mix, Karun Nair said, “I am grateful to the team management for putting together this team, they worked very hard before the auction, and it shows. They did a lot of research and got exactly what they wanted. It is a very well-balanced team, and I am excited to see what we can produce in the tournament.”

Also in the fray are the Hubli Tigers who will be eager to go farther than their play-off performance from last season, with the prodigious Manish Pandey leading the team. He will be joined by the likes of the explosive Luvnith Sisodia along with the speedster Vidwath Kaverappa, and the experience of KC Cariappa and Pravin Dubey.

New entrants, Shivamogga Lions had a very successful auction. Their campaign will be led by one of Karnataka’s finest all-rounders in Shreyas Gopal. The squad also has the fire power of Abhinav Manohar, Nihal Ullal, Koushik V, Sharath H S and Rohan Kadam.

Also debuting this season are the Mangaluru Dragons, led by the experience of K Gowtham. The team has entrusted numerous young players and it also features the dynamic Nikin Jose, Ronit More, Rohan Patil, Gowtham K and Siddharth K V.

Action will be broadcast live on Star Sports 2 and Star Sports Kannada, while the FanCode app will serve as the digital streaming partner