Bengaluru, Aug 18 (IANS): Smaran R's unbeaten century powered the Gulbarga Mystics to their first win of the season in a nail-biting three-wicket triumph over the Mysore Warriors at the Shriram Capital Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20, on Sunday.

Chasing a challenging target of 196, Smaran's 104* off 60 balls, coupled with a crucial cameo from Praveen Dubey (37), helped Gulbarga clinch victory on the final ball. With this swashbuckling innings, Smaran became the first batsman this season to score a century.

Earlier in the day, Mysore’s innings was anchored by Karun Nair’s (66) half-century, complemented by Samit Dravid (33) and J Suchith’s (40) late innings surge, leading them to a formidable total. For Gulbarga, Monish Reddy (2/25), Prithviraj Shekhawat (2/28), and Yashovardhan Pratap (2/31) delivered standout performances with the ball.

Despite early setbacks, with Devdutt Padikkal (1) and Luvnith Sisodia (4) falling to CA Karthik and Vidhyadhar Patil respectively, Gulbarga made the most of the powerplay. Impact Player Aneesh KV (24) and Smaran R stabilized the innings, with Aneesh striking three fours off Dhanush Gowda in a single over, and Smaran clearing the ropes twice, guiding Gulbarga to 56/2 by the end of the powerplay.

The momentum shifted again in the seventh over when Manoj Bhandige struck twice, dismissing Aneesh KV and Yashovardhan Pratap (0) quickly, putting Mysore in control. However, Wahid Faizan Khan provided valuable support to Smaran, starting his innings with a six over square leg and scoring 18 off 11 balls before being outfoxed by K Gowtham in the 12th over. Meanwhile, Smaran R reached his half-century in just 30 balls, with five fours and three sixes.

The catalyst was Smaran’s partnership with Praveen Dubey, which yielded 83 runs in just 44 deliveries. Dubey played his part well, striking two sixes and a four before being dismissed by Vidhyadhar Patil in the 19th over. With the match going down to the wire, Smaran brought up his century in the final over and held his nerve to guide the Gulbarga Mystics to a thrilling three-wicket victory on the last ball of the match.

Invited to bat first, the Mysore Warriors had a poor start as Gulbarga’s Prithviraj Shekhawat struck in the fourth over, dismissing both openers, CA Karthik (9) and SU Karthik (5). The Warriors found momentum in the next over when Samit Dravid worked three boundaries off Monish Reddy, as he joined Karun Nair.

Karun Nair, consistently finding the gaps, ensured a steady flow of runs while Samit Dravid’s 24-ball stay ended in the 12th over, caught at long-on off Sharan Goud’s bowling.

Meanwhile, Nair reached his half-century in 27 balls. Sumit Kumar then joined Nair, quickly getting into his stride with 19 off 12 balls before Monish Reddy struck again, dismissing both Kumar and Manoj Bhandige (0) in quick succession. Karun Nair's impressive knock of 63, with eight fours and three sixes, ended in the 16th over when he was scalped by Yashovardhan Parantap, leaving the Warriors at 143/6.

J Suchith provided the finishing fireworks, launching a ferocious attack on Sharan Goud, smashing 22 runs in four deliveries, including three consecutive sixes. His blistering 40-run innings off just 13 balls was cut short by Vyshak Vijaykumar, but K Gowtham’s (10) small contribution ensured the Warriors posted a formidable total of 196/8.

Brief scores:

Mysore Warriors 196 for 8 in 20 overs (Karun Nair 66, J Suchith 40; Monish Reddy 2-25, Prithviraj Shekhawat 2-28) lost to Gulbarga Mystics 200 for 7 in 20 overs (Smaran R 104 not out, Praveen Dubey 37; Manoj Bhandage 2-40, Vidhyadhar Patil 2-42) by three wickets.