Bengaluru: Karun Nair’s sensational century led the Mysore Warriors to a resounding 27-run victory (V Jayadevan method) over the Mangaluru Dragons in the second match of the day at the Shriram Capital Maharaja Trophy, powered by FanCode, held at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Monday.
Batting first, Nair’s breathtaking 40-ball century powered Mysore to a towering total of 226/4. The Mangaluru Dragons, disrupted by rain mid-innings, were set a revised target of 166 runs in 14 overs but ultimately fell well short, marking their second loss of the campaign.
Mysore Warriors’ innings got off to a shaky start when Karthik CA (11) fell to Abhilash Shetty in the third over. Despite the early setback, opener Karthik SU (23) and captain Karun Nair (124*) steadied the ship, accumulating 46 runs during the powerplay.
Nair quickly found his rhythm, launching a blistering assault that defined the match. The duo forged a crucial 47-run partnership—the second-largest stand of the innings. Karthik SU, who had earlier been granted two lifelines, finally succumbed in the eighth over to MB Darshan, leaving Mysore at 61/2.
Undeterred, Nair continued his onslaught, reaching a rapid 27-ball half-century with an array of sweeping and scooping strokes. His innings was the epitome of calculated aggression. Meanwhile, Samit Dravid (16) was dismissed by Nischit Rao, just after hitting him for a six. Abhilash Shetty returned to claim Sumit Kumar (15), but Manoj Bhandage (31*) then joined Nair at the crease, playing a brisk 14-ball cameo. Together, they added 85 runs in just 29 balls, further amplifying the pressure on the Dragons.
Nair was at his destructive best in the final overs. He smashed two sixes and a four off Paras Gurbax Arya in the 15th over and followed it up by blasting three massive sixes off Nischith Rao to reach his century off just 40 balls in the penultimate over. His unbeaten 124 included 13 fours and nine sixes, culminating in a grand finish as he hammered five consecutive boundaries (6, 6, 4, 4, 4) to lift Mysore to a commanding 226/4 in their 20 overs.
The Mangaluru Dragons’ chase began on a rocky note. Karthik CA struck early, removing Macneil Noronha, and J Suchith outfoxed Rohit K before the fifth over. Despite these setbacks, Nikin Jose (32) and KV Siddharth (50) kept the chase alive, ensuring the Dragons stayed in contention by reaching 61/2 by the end of the powerplay, with Siddharth hitting four boundaries off Vidyadhar Patil in the sixth over.
Rain interrupted play in the ninth over, and upon resumption, the Dragons faced a revised target of 166 in 14 overs. However, their hopes were soon dashed as Nikin Jose was trapped lbw by J Suchith, breaking a promising 50-run partnership.
Sagar Solanki (0) and KV Siddharth, who had just brought up his half-century in 25 balls, followed soon after, leaving the Dragons struggling at 114/5 in 11 overs. Despite a brief 12-run cameo from Darshan MB, the Dragons’ innings lost steam, ultimately finishing at 138/7.
