Bengaluru: Top state cricketers such as Karun Nair, Prasidh Krishna, and Mayank Agarwal were among the retained players ahead of the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20’s fourth edition which will be played behind closed doors between August 11 and 27.
Spectators will not be allowed in the stands for this iteration of the tournament after 11 people were killed in a stampede after Royal Challengers Bengaluru announced a victory parade to celebrate their maiden IPL victory on June 4.
Subsequently, A Shankar and ES Jairam, secretary and treasurer of the Karnataka State Cricket Association, resigned taking moral responsibility of the tragic incident.
The judicial proceedings have been going on in the state High Court and the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) pertaining to the stampede.
Cutting back to the competition, Mysore Warriors will once again count on their captain Nair, who was last season’s top scorer with 560 runs, to lead the charge.
Young batting sensation Karthik SU, who stood out last season with 372 runs in 12 innings, including three half-centuries, will join him in the top-order.
Indian pacer Prasidh along with seasoned all-rounder Karthik CA round off a strong core of Warriors.
Bengaluru Blasters, last season’s runners-up, will continue to bank on the experience of opener Agarawal.
The Hubli Tigers will look to wicketkeeper KL Shrijith, who was in Mumbai Indians’ roster in IPL 2025, to provide firepower at the top after his impressive 349-run campaign last year, which included an unbeaten century.
For Gulbarga Mystics, captain and premier pacer Vyshak Vijaykumar returns to the fray, while the top order will feature Smaran R and wicketkeeper-batter Luvnith Sisodia.
Shivamogga Lions have retained right-arm pacer Vasuki Koushik, who has moved to Goa for this season’s domestic competitions.
The player auction is scheduled for July 15 where each team will build their squads with a minimum of 16 players and no more than 18 players, excluding two mandatory picks from their respective catchment areas.
All the matches will be held at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium as six teams — Mysore Warriors, runners-up Bengaluru Blasters, Hubli Tigers, Gulbarga Mystics, Shivamogga Lions, and Mangaluru Dragons — will vie for top honours.
