173/6 (20.0)
CR : 8.65
185/5 (20.0)
CR : 9.25
Kalyani Bengaluru Blasters won by 12 runs 🏆
Player of the Match
Shubhang Hegde
0/2765(52)*
19.5
1
Nischith Rao to Suraj Ajya Ahuja
Back of a length around middle and off. Ahuja looks to pull, the ball gets big on him. He can only find deep mid wicket with it. Just a single...
19.6
1
Nischith Rao to Shreyas Gopal
In the air... and in no man's land. Which is of little consequence, because the Kalyani Bengaluru Blasters clinch this game by 12 runs and book a place in the final of the 2026 Maharaja KSCA T20 Trophy! This is the third time they make it to the summit clash of the competition, and how! Back of a length delivery from Nischith Rao, bowled well wide of off stump. Gopal looked to flat-bat it down the ground, the ball took the top half of the bat, flew up, and landed at a straight-ish mid-on region. The Kalyani Bengaluru Blasters juggernaut, indeed, does roll on, and boy oh boy, do they seem unstoppable!
Over 20
Coastal Kings Mangaluru 173/6
Suraj Ajya Ahuja52(29)
Shreyas Gopal7(4)
Nischith Rao1-32(4.0)
KBB won by 12 runs
10:47 PM IST, Local Time: Kalyani Bengaluru Blasters have achieved a terrific comeback and, in the end, have secured a 12-run victory over Coastal Kings Mangaluru, who finish at 173/6. KBB becomes the first team to secure a spot in the finals of the 2026 Maharaja KSCA T20.
Blasters lost their first five wickets early in the innings and were struggling badly before Praveen Dubey and Shubhang Hegde stitched an unbeaten 133-run stand and took Blasters to a total of 185/5.
Chasing 173, the Kings endured an early setback when Aadharsh SJ departed for four after Samit Dravid struck in the second over.
Nikin Jose, however, counterattacked with intent, smashing two fours and three sixes in a brisk 45 off 32 balls. Karun Nair failed to make an impact, falling for two, but Prajwal Pavan chipped in with a useful 21 to keep the scoreboard moving.
From 88/4, Siddharth Akhil and Suraj Ahuja then steadied the chase with a valuable stand. Akhil continued the charge, hammering 37 off just 24 deliveries, including two boundaries and three sixes, before Samit Dravid removed him in the 18th over. Ahuja and Akhil stitched a 64-run stand for the fifth wicket.
Suraj Ahuja then took charge of the finish. The wicketkeeper-batter produced a calm yet authoritative unbeaten 52 from just 29 deliveries, peppering the boundary with six fours and two sixes. However, it was not enough as Coastal Kings finished on 173/6 and failed to book a berth in the finals on the first attempt.
For the Blasters, Samit Dravid impressed with figures of 3/30, while Vidhwath Kaverappa, Nischith N Rao and Praveen Dubey claimed one wicket each. Skipper Hegde went wicketless but bowled an economical spell.
With this win, Blasters have now qualified for the finals of the Maharaja T20 Trophy 2026 season. They will have a rest day before they play the final on Sunday against the winner of Qualifier 2, which is scheduled to be held on Saturday afternoon between Coastal Kings Mangaluru and Shivamogga Yodhas.
Blasters lost their first five wickets early in the innings and were struggling badly before Praveen Dubey and Shubhang Hegde stitched an unbeaten 133-run stand and took Blasters to a total of 185/5.
Chasing 173, the Kings endured an early setback when Aadharsh SJ departed for four after Samit Dravid struck in the second over.
Nikin Jose, however, counterattacked with intent, smashing two fours and three sixes in a brisk 45 off 32 balls. Karun Nair failed to make an impact, falling for two, but Prajwal Pavan chipped in with a useful 21 to keep the scoreboard moving.
From 88/4, Siddharth Akhil and Suraj Ahuja then steadied the chase with a valuable stand. Akhil continued the charge, hammering 37 off just 24 deliveries, including two boundaries and three sixes, before Samit Dravid removed him in the 18th over. Ahuja and Akhil stitched a 64-run stand for the fifth wicket.
Suraj Ahuja then took charge of the finish. The wicketkeeper-batter produced a calm yet authoritative unbeaten 52 from just 29 deliveries, peppering the boundary with six fours and two sixes. However, it was not enough as Coastal Kings finished on 173/6 and failed to book a berth in the finals on the first attempt.
For the Blasters, Samit Dravid impressed with figures of 3/30, while Vidhwath Kaverappa, Nischith N Rao and Praveen Dubey claimed one wicket each. Skipper Hegde went wicketless but bowled an economical spell.
With this win, Blasters have now qualified for the finals of the Maharaja T20 Trophy 2026 season. They will have a rest day before they play the final on Sunday against the winner of Qualifier 2, which is scheduled to be held on Saturday afternoon between Coastal Kings Mangaluru and Shivamogga Yodhas.
Karun Nair (Coastal Kings Mangaluru captain): "(On what went wrong today) Huge congratulations to Bengaluru Blasters; they were better on the day. We started really well to get them five down, but they came back really well. Won the small moments since then. To go back today, recover, and do the same things tomorrow, but a little better.
(On where the momentum switched) These two guys (Shubhang Hegde and Praveen Dubey) have been doing really well. It's always been up to the two of them, and they have stood up and always done well. Credit to them; they played well. For us, it's about going back and doing some things better and trying to get them out
(On whether 185 was chasable) For sure, if anyone gave us 185 before the toss, we would have taken it. I should have probably played the whole innings. Would have probably been easy if I was there. Small things, details, about doing it better. I think we are a young team; some of them are playing for the first time, so for us, really happy they are doing well, but it's about coming back tomorrow and doing some of those things better.
(Time of the wickets of their set batters) Some of them have been playing for a while, some not at all. We did not win those small moments after those first 10-12 overs. Have to give it to them (Blasters) for playing well. For us, it's about going back and doing those things better. Keeping doing those things well, and seeing what comes out of it.
(On turnaround time) Always a tough tournament to recover and come back. We have another opportunity to come out and showcase our skills. Will be happy to come out and do our best."
(On where the momentum switched) These two guys (Shubhang Hegde and Praveen Dubey) have been doing really well. It's always been up to the two of them, and they have stood up and always done well. Credit to them; they played well. For us, it's about going back and doing some things better and trying to get them out
(On whether 185 was chasable) For sure, if anyone gave us 185 before the toss, we would have taken it. I should have probably played the whole innings. Would have probably been easy if I was there. Small things, details, about doing it better. I think we are a young team; some of them are playing for the first time, so for us, really happy they are doing well, but it's about coming back tomorrow and doing some of those things better.
(Time of the wickets of their set batters) Some of them have been playing for a while, some not at all. We did not win those small moments after those first 10-12 overs. Have to give it to them (Blasters) for playing well. For us, it's about going back and doing those things better. Keeping doing those things well, and seeing what comes out of it.
(On turnaround time) Always a tough tournament to recover and come back. We have another opportunity to come out and showcase our skills. Will be happy to come out and do our best."
Time for post-match presentations...
Player of the Match: Shubhang Hegde
Shubhang Hegde (POTM & Bengaluru Blasters Captain): "(On taking his side from 52/5 to the 180-run mark) No, I don't think at any stage we thought we'd get to 180. The discussion in the dressing room was simply to take the innings deep, aim for around 150–160, and then fight from there. But the way Praveen Dubey has been batting throughout the season has been outstanding.
(On Praveen Dubey) The plan was always to bat deep. When Dubey is at the crease, I don't really have to worry about boundaries or the scoring rate because I know he'll take care of that. My role was just to stay there and take the innings deep, while Dubey did the rest.
(On increasing the strike rate at the back-end of the innings) We know the dimensions of this ground and how the ball comes onto the bat later in the innings. It's generally easier to score towards the end. Early on, they bowled really well and put us under a lot of pressure. There wasn't much scope to attack at that stage. The plan was to bat deep, and fortunately everything came together for us in the final overs.
(Would Coastal Kings have chased that total?) Of course. A total of 185 is never a guaranteed winning score. But I thought we bowled really well in the powerplay once again. They batted well through the middle overs and took the game deep. In the end, though, we held our nerve, and Nischith has been outstanding with the ball throughout the season.
(On keeping calm in the death) Yes. Dubey had to bowl the 19th over, and that's never easy for a spinner. I thought he held his nerve brilliantly. Then in the final over, we even had five fielders inside the circle because we were a little late getting into position. Despite that, Nischith stayed calm and executed his plans perfectly. I thought we were outstanding in those closing overs.
(On qualifying for the finals) Absolutely. I think the day's break is probably the most important thing right now. We'll recover well and be ready for the final."
(On Praveen Dubey) The plan was always to bat deep. When Dubey is at the crease, I don't really have to worry about boundaries or the scoring rate because I know he'll take care of that. My role was just to stay there and take the innings deep, while Dubey did the rest.
(On increasing the strike rate at the back-end of the innings) We know the dimensions of this ground and how the ball comes onto the bat later in the innings. It's generally easier to score towards the end. Early on, they bowled really well and put us under a lot of pressure. There wasn't much scope to attack at that stage. The plan was to bat deep, and fortunately everything came together for us in the final overs.
(Would Coastal Kings have chased that total?) Of course. A total of 185 is never a guaranteed winning score. But I thought we bowled really well in the powerplay once again. They batted well through the middle overs and took the game deep. In the end, though, we held our nerve, and Nischith has been outstanding with the ball throughout the season.
(On keeping calm in the death) Yes. Dubey had to bowl the 19th over, and that's never easy for a spinner. I thought he held his nerve brilliantly. Then in the final over, we even had five fielders inside the circle because we were a little late getting into position. Despite that, Nischith stayed calm and executed his plans perfectly. I thought we were outstanding in those closing overs.
(On qualifying for the finals) Absolutely. I think the day's break is probably the most important thing right now. We'll recover well and be ready for the final."
A clinical performance by Bengaluru Blasters as they march onto the final of the Maharaja T20 Trophy 2026. Coastal Kings Mangaluru will now get another chance on Saturday when they meet Shivamogga Yodhas in Qualifier 2.
That's it from our live coverage of this game. This is Mohammad Anab, signing off on behalf of my co-commentator Rajarshi Das and scorer/analyst Yogesh Kumar. Cheers.
That's it from our live coverage of this game. This is Mohammad Anab, signing off on behalf of my co-commentator Rajarshi Das and scorer/analyst Yogesh Kumar. Cheers.