11:36 P.M. IST and Local Time: They left it late, very late, but thanks to unlikely heroic efforts with the bat from Vyshak Vijaykumar and Yuvraj Arora, Mysore Warriors ensured a new lease of life in their 2026 Maharaja T20 Trophy campaign! It seemed like their game to lose at the halfway stage; they lost their way, looked down and out, but still managed to get there and clinch two very important points!
Karun Nair breathed life into Coastal Kings Mangaluru's innings after Ritesh Bhatkal accounted for Aadharsh SJ early on. The CKM skipper used the pace of the ball to great effect and worked the gaps against pace, propelling the scoring rate and making the best use of the powerplay.
There was a 50-odd-minute rain delay after the powerplay, after which the momentum shifted. With the ball skidding off the wicket, Lavish Kaushal made the most of it, hurrying both Nair and Suraj Ahuja and accounting for them off successive deliveries.
Shreyas Gopal and Siddharth Akhil had to consolidate. The duo weathered the situation and built a decent platform going into the back end of the innings, but the Coastal Kings lost too many wickets at the death.
The Mysore Warriors lost Karthik SU off the first ball, but that did not faze them in the slightest. Ritesh Bhatkal launched into an onslaught in the powerplay, and Chethan LR joined in soon after. The duo helped the Mysore Warriors motor along to 68 in the allotted 5.4 overs of powerplay, and there seemed no stopping them tonight.
The Coastal Kings then turned to spin, and it seemed to work. Gopal accounted for Chethan LR with a long hop, but Ritesh Bhatkal continued on his merry way. The required rate was under a run a ball at around the halfway mark, but then began the drama.
Nischith Pai and Codanda Ajit Karthik used the skiddiness off the wicket to get rid of Karthikeya, Lankesh and the very well-set Ritesh Bhatkal in the span of a couple of overs. Wickets kept tumbling one after the other, and the Warriors were down to their tail.
As it turned out, Vyshak Vijaykumar the batter still had a say in the game. So did Yuvraj Arora, who moved across and hit a crucial maximum in the dying stages of the game. It was Yuvraj who landed the decisive blow eventually. Post-match presentation ceremony coming up in a bit...