Despite nikin jose

Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20: In a thrilling battle at the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 the Mangaluru Dragons fell agonizingly short in their chase of 145 against the Bengaluru Blasters, here at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday.

Despite Nikin Jose's (55) gritty half-century and a crucial partnership with Lochan Gowda (8), the Mangaluru Dragons ultimately fell short by six runs. Earlier in the day, Abhilash Shetty's (4/9) remarkable spell had put the Bengaluru Blasters on the back foot, reducing them to 38/4. However, it was Kranthi Kumar's match-winning all-round performance that turned the tide—scoring a vital 39 and delivering with the ball (2/25) to guide Bengaluru to a competitive total of 144/10, which proved just enough to secure their fourth win.

Chasing 145, the Mangaluru Dragons lost Noronha (0) on the first ball of the innings, followed by Rohan Patil (5) in the third over. Both openers were dismissed by Santok Singh (2/11) with the Dragons finishing the powerplay at 34/2.