Bengaluru Aug 30 (IANS): Gulbarga Mystics defeated the Hubli Tigers by four wickets in the final league phase encounter of the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 here on Thursday. While the semifinal fixtures were already decided before the match, impressive knocks from Vyshakh Vijaykumar (51), Pravin Dubey (34 not out) and Ritesh Bhatkal (35 not out) ensured Gulbarga’s fifth victory of the campaign.

Earlier in the match, the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium witnessed a sizzling century from K.L Shrijith (100 not out) that steered Hubli Tigers to 179/7 despite Monish Reddy’s figures of 4/32. The knockouts will see Bengaluru Blasters take on Gulbarga Mystics in the first semifinal on Friday while Mysore Warriors will take on Hubli Tigers in the second semifinal here on Saturday.

The Gulbarga Mystics were dented by Vidwath Kaverappa (Impact Player) in the Power-play as he ousted Aneesh K.V. (0) and Sharath BR (13). KC Cariappa’s quicker one castled Luvnith Sisodia (10) to leave Gulbarga in a bind at 28/3 in 4.1 overs. Sourab Muttur (18) and Vyshak Vijaykumar (51) resuscitated the run chase with 14 runs in the sixth over to finish the powerplay at 47/3.

Sourab Muttur was caught and bowled by Madhav Bajaj in the 10th over, derailing the 42-run stand. Vyshak Vijaykumar darted to a 32-ball fifty with a swat over the mid-wicket boundary. In the very next over, he was ousted by KC Cariappa as Rishi Bopanna took a blinder at point.

Ritesh Bhatkal was quick on the draw, launching two consecutive sixes against Madhav Bajaj in the 15th over. The same over would see the end of Prithviraj Shekhawat’s 12-ball knock leaving Mystics at 126/6 in 14.4 overs.

The Gulbarga Mystics needed 44 runs in 24 balls. Ritesh Bhatkal and Pravin Dubey combined for 18 runs in the 17th over. Dubey then worked two boundaries and a six of Kaverappa in the 19th over to comfortably steer Gulbarga Mystics home in 19.1 overs. Bhatkal had struck two fours and three sixes in 19 ball knock, while Dubey tallied five fours and a six in 14 balls.

Put in first, the Hubli Tigers put on 46 runs in the powerplay for the loss of two wickets. Kruthik Krishna (1) was dismissed by Vyshak Vijaykumar in the second over while Taha (35) smashed four boundaries and two sixes before he holed out to Prithviraj Shekhawat at deep square leg, off Monish Reddy in the fifth.

K.L. Shrijith (100*) and Aneeshwar Gautam’s (9) partnership looked menacing, earning 14 runs in the seventh over before Abhishek Prabhakar removed Aneeshwar Gautam in the ninth over. Karthikeya KP struggled as well, picked up by Shekhawat in the 13th over, leaving Hubli at 95/4.

Shrijith brought up his half-century in 32 deliveries, including seven boundaries and a six. The next milestone would come even quicker. Shrijith took Abhishek Prabhakar down for two fours and a six in succession, followed by three consecutive boundaries off Shekawat, eventually reaching a 51-ball century. He hit 14 fours and cleared the ropes thrice on his way as Hubli Tigers posted 179/7.

Monish Reddy was the standout bowler for the Gulbarga Mystics, delivering a frugal spell in the death overs. He dismissed Manish Pandey (9), Manvanth Kumar (11), and Rishi Bopanna (0) to finish with figures of 4/32.

Brief scores:

Hubli Tigers 179/7 in 20 overs (Mohd. Taha 35, KL Shrijith 100 not out; Monish Reddy 4-32) lost to Gulbarga Mystics 183/6 in 19.1 overs (Vyshak Vijaykumar 51, Ritesh Bhatkal 35, Praveen Dubey 34; KC Cariappa 2-19, Vidwath Kaverappa 2-31, Madhav Bajaj 2-35) by 4 wickets.