Shivamogga Yodhas Secure Spot in Maharaja Trophy Final with Victory Over Coastal Kings
Yodhas Triumph in T20 Semi-Final
The Shivamogga Yodhas have advanced to the final of the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 after a convincing four-wicket win against the Coastal Kings Mangaluru on Saturday. Dhanush Gowda's impressive four-wicket haul, along with two wickets each from Shreesha Achar and Naveen MG, limited the Coastal Kings to a total of 143 runs for 8 wickets. Aneesh KV played a crucial role in the chase, scoring an unbeaten 55 runs off 39 balls, supported by Sujay Sateri's 31 runs off 25 balls, leading the Yodhas to victory.
Yodhas Successfully Chase 144 Runs
During the second innings, the Coastal Kings started strong with Santok Singh taking two early wickets. Singh dismissed Luvnith Sisodia (14 runs off 13 balls) and Tushar Singh (14 runs off 10 balls), while Prithviraj removed Naveen MG, leaving the Yodhas struggling at 41 for 3 within the first five overs.
Aneesh KV's Match-Winning Performance
Aneesh KV played a pivotal role in stabilizing the innings, hitting regular boundaries to maintain the required run rate. He formed a partnership of 31 runs with Harshil Dharmani (13 runs off 14 balls) before Dharmani was dismissed in the 10th over by Prithviraj. As Aneesh began to find his rhythm, he quickly moved from 20 runs in 21 balls to a half-century off just 31 balls. His partnership with Sujay Sateri, which yielded 70 runs in 47 balls, was instrumental in guiding the Yodhas to victory in 18.4 overs.
Gowda's Bowling Excellence
Dhanush Gowda was a key player in the first innings, consistently breaking partnerships for the Coastal Kings. He first dismissed Pavan Prajwal (8 runs off 11 balls), disrupting the opening stand of 35 runs. Nikin Jose (34 runs off 25 balls) was another significant contributor but fell to Shreesha Achar in the eighth over. Karun Nair (41 runs off 31 balls) played a steady innings, hitting one four and three sixes.
Coastal Kings Struggle in Final Overs
Shreyas Gopal (13 runs off 16 balls) formed the largest partnership of the innings with Nair, contributing 39 runs before becoming Achar's second wicket. At the 15-over mark, the Coastal Kings were at 109 for 4 but quickly fell to 123 for 8 in the 18th over as Gowda returned to take out Nair, Suraj Ahuja (9 runs off 10 balls), and Rajvir Wadhwa (9 runs off 5 balls) in rapid succession. Prithviraj Shekhawat (12 runs off 10 balls) added some crucial runs towards the end, helping the Kings set a competitive total.
Match Summary
Shivamogga Yodhas defeated Coastal Kings Mangaluru by 4 wickets. The final scores were: Shivamogga Yodhas 144-6 in 18.4 overs (Aneesh KV 55*, Sujay S 31; Santokh Singh 3-30) and Coastal Kings Mangaluru 143-8 in 20 overs (Karun Nair 41, Nikin Jose 34; Dhanush Gowda 4-21, Shreesha Achar 2-19, Naveen MG 2-25).