Tigers condemn Blasters to 7th defeat in a row

Bengaluru: Bengaluru Blasters registered their highest team total of the season —188 — but that did not change their fortunes in the KSCA Maharaja Trophy T20 tournament here on Tuesday.At the M Chinnaswamy stadium, Mayank Agarwal and his men crashed to their seventh consecutive loss, with Hubli Tigers notching a six-wicket win. Chasing Blasters' 188/5, Tigers reached the target with nine deliveries to spare.Electing to bat, Blasters lost opener Bhuvan Raju early, but the seasoned duo of Agarwal (68) and Nischal (54) stitched together a 122-run association for the second wicket to rescue their team. Shubhang Hegde's 18-ball 29 further boosted their run rate. For Tigers, spinner KC Cariappa returned 3 for 31, while pacer Vidwath Kaverappa claimed two wickets. Tigers were largely untroubled with Mohammed Taha (66) and KL Shrijith anchoring their innings before skipper Manish Pandey completed the rout with an unbeaten 22-ball 35.Lions back in formAfter losing three matches in a row, Shivamogga Lions returned to form with a five-wicket win over Mysuru Warriors. After restricting Warriors to 162/8, the Lions prevailed with two balls to spare. Opener Nihal Ullal (45) put a price on his wicket and played a key role in the victory while Kranthi Kumar turned in an all-round performance. After claiming two wickets, the 29-year-old scored an unbeaten 13-ball 20 to ensure his team stayed on course for a knockout berth.Brief scores: Bengaluru Blasters: 188/5 in 20 overs (Mayank Agarwal 68, D Nischal 54, Shubhang Hegde 29; Vidwath Kaverappa 2-29, KC Cariappa 3-31) lost to Hubli Tigers: 190/4 in 18.3 overs (Mohammed Taha 66, KL Shrijith 45, Manish Pandey 35 n.o; Sarfaraz Ashraf 2-34).Mysuru Warriors: 162/8 in 20 overs (Karun Nair 46, Lankesh 25; V Koushik 2-27, Kranthi Kumar 2-40) lost to Shivamogga Lions: 163/5 in 19.4 overs (Nihal Ullal 45, Abhinav Manohar 27; Monish Reddy 2-28).
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