Panthers set up final clash with Warriors

Suneel Raju’s late charge and left-arm spinner B Naveen’s four-wicket haul (4/13) set-up Belagavi Panthers’ 53-run win over Bijapur Bulls in the Karnataka Premier League semifinal here at KSCA’s Rajnagar Stadium on Thursday.

In the final on Friday, Panthers will face Mysore Warriors, who beat defending champions Mangalore United by 60 runs in the other semifinal. 

Opting to bowl first, Bulls had things under control having left Panthers at not-so-comfortable 115 for five in 16 overs. Mir Kaunian Abbas, Bharat Chipli and skipper R Vinay Kumar failed to provide any impetus to the innings before Raju, in association with K Gowtham (31, 13b, 4x4, 1x6), changed the complexion of the match with a blistering assault.

The duo plundered 51 runs in just 21 balls as the middling total became daunting target. Raju brought up his 57 in just 28 balls with the help four fours and as many sixes.
Medium pacer Naveen MG bore the full brunt of Panthers’late flourish, leaking 54 in his four overs.

The Bulls did get off to a solid start, rattling 25 runs in just 2.3 overs but once the in-from R Smarth was dismissed by Vinay, Bulls suffered a free fall. Vinay set the tone for the innings with two wickets in as many balls before Naveen cast a spell on the Bulls’ batsmen. Stalin Hoover (1/15) was parsimonious while Gowtham excelled with the ball as well, conceding just 22 in his four overs with skipper Deepak Chougule’s scalp to boost.  
   
Panthers had barely managed to make the semifinals but once there they made it count with an all-round performance.

Warriors oust United
Helped by Shishir Bhavane’s fine 61, Mysore Warriors posted a formidable total of 178 for seven in the 20 overs.

In reply, Mangalore Unitedwere all out for 118 in 18 overs.
Brief scores: Belagavi Panthers: 173/6 in 20 overs (Suneel Raju 57 n.o., K Gowtham 31; Cariappa KC 2-29) bt Bijapur Bulls: 120 all out in 17.2 overs (Nishanth Singh 27; R Vinay Kumar 2-26, B Naveen 4-13).  
Mysore Warriors: 178/7 in 20 overs (Shishir Bhavane 61, Manish Pandey 29; U Patil 3-37, R More 2-26, SL Akshay 2-48) bt Mangalore United: 118 all out in 18 overs (Ganesh Sathish 39; J Suchith 3-9,R Bhatkal 3-15).