Bengaluru Blasters closed their Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 league campaign on a winning note, defeating Gulbarga Mystics by 11 runs at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Monday, 6 July. The victory, built on half-centuries from Rohan Patil and Thippa Reddy on either side, confirmed the Blasters as the league phase table-toppers heading into the knockouts.

The result also settled the playoff picture further: Coastal Kings Mangaluru became the third team to book a knockout berth, joining the Blasters and Shivamogga Yodhas. Mysore Warriors and Gulbarga Mystics remain in contention for the final playoff spot.

Blasters Build a Platform

Rohan Patil set the tone for the Blasters with a brisk 51 off 35 balls, laced with six fours and a six. He combined with Bhuvan Raju for 45 runs at the top before linking up with Wahid Faizan Khan for a 53-run third-wicket stand. Faizan Khan blazed 46 off 25 deliveries, striking six fours and two sixes, before Ronit More removed both him and Shivraj S in the 12th over.

A brief rain interruption at the end of the 15th over threatened to disrupt the Blasters' rhythm, but captain Shubhang Hegde took charge. Remaining unbeaten on 38 off 20 balls — featuring three fours and two sixes, including two maximums in a 16-run final over — Hegde steered his side to 176/8 in 20 overs. Kranthi Kumar was the standout bowler for the Mystics, finishing with figures of 3 for 28.

Mystics Rocked Early, Reddy Fights Back

The chase began disastrously for Gulbarga Mystics, who slumped to 24 for 4 inside 3.2 overs. Vidwath Kaverappa dismissed Lochan Gowda and Macneil Noronha in consecutive deliveries, while Nischith Rao accounted for Prakhar Chaturvedi and Sharath BR.

Arriving at No. 5, Thippa Reddy steadied the innings with three boundaries and a six to take the Mystics to 51 for 4 at the end of the powerplay. Despite the departures of Dhruv Prabhakaran (15 off 18) and Manish Pandey (2 off 4), Reddy raced to a 23-ball half-century through the middle overs. He was eventually stumped off Rohan Naveen in the 13th over with the score at 101 for 7, ending a crucial resistance innings of 55 runs.

Kranthi Kumar's Late Blitz Falls Short

With the target seemingly beyond reach, Kranthi Kumar produced a stunning counter-attack, smashing 53 off 36 balls and hammering three consecutive sixes in the final over to bring up his half-century. Needing 31 off the last six deliveries, the Mystics ultimately fell 11 runs short, finishing on 165 for 8. The three-wicket hauls from Rohan Raju, Kaverappa, and Rao — each claiming two wickets — proved decisive in restricting the chase.

Playoff Picture After the Match

With the league phase now complete, Bengaluru Blasters head directly into Qualifier 1, having already secured that berth. Coastal Kings Mangaluru's confirmed third-place finish sets up a competitive knockout stage. The battle between Mysore Warriors and Gulbarga Mystics for the remaining playoff position adds further intrigue to the concluding stages of the tournament.