Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20, List of Captains: Mayank, Manish, Karun, Mithun, Gowtham, Samarth to lead teams

Bengaluru, August 4: Just days ahead of the start of much-awaited Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20, the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) upped the excitement revealing the names of the six captains, in a glittering ceremony held at the Southern Star Hotel in Mysuru on Thursday (August 4).

The grand occasion was also attended by Kannada mega star Sudeep, brand ambassador of the prestigious tournament, and also an avid lover of the sport.

“With just days left for the start of the tournament, we are elated to name the captains who will be leading the fight for their respective teams. I am very grateful to mega star Kicha Sudeep who has taken the time off from his busy schedule to attend this event.

“He remains a true lover of the sport and I am delighted that he will be the brand ambassador of the tournament,” stated Roger Binny, President of KSCA.

The Kalyani Bengaluru Blasters will see India opener Mayank Agarwal as their captain. Earlier in the year, during the IPL 2022, Mayank was captain of the Punjab Kings.

Manish Pandey has been handed the responsibility of leading Gulbarga Mystics while Mysuru Warriors have anointed Karun Nair as the skipper.

Ace spinner K Gowtham will walk out for the toss when Shivamogga Strikers take the field and the 29-year-old Samarth R has been handed captaincy duties for the Mangalore United side.

The Right-arm fast bowler Abhimanyu Mithun has been picked to lead the Hubli Tigers side in the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20.

“We are very happy that HRH Maharani Pramoda Devi has agreed to inaugurate the tournament on Sunday. She has always shared her husband HRD late Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar, our former President’s passion for cricket. We look forward to a great tournament which is a great opportunity for players to shine,” stated Vinay Mruthyunjaya, Hon. Treasurer of KSCA

Sudeep, meanwhile, lauded the efforts of KSCA and said, "I am very happy that the tournament has returned after a three-year gap in an all-new avatar. There many young cricketers in the state who can make use of this opportunity and I look forward to watching some interesting matches.”

KSCA conducted a first-of-its-kind player draft on July 31. The team sponsors picked their coaching staff through a draft system after which, the coaching staff took charge of drafting players from category A, B, C and D into their respective teams.

Category A included India and IPL players with a salary of INR 5 lakh. The next, Category B, featured State players who have taken part in only one of the senior tournaments (Ranji Trophy/ Vijay Hazare Trophy/ Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy) and they will be handed purse of INR 2 lakh.

Players who have been part of the age group tournaments (u-19/ u-23) made up Category C with compensation of INR 1 lakh.

Finally, Category D comprising Emerging Talent will bag INR 50,000.

A total of 740 players featured in the Player Draft, with 14 players in Category A, 32 players in Category B, 111 players in Category C, 583 players in Category D.

The tournament will commence at the Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar Cricket Ground in Mysuru from August 7 with the final scheduled for August 26 in Bengaluru.

The tournament will open with Samarth R’s Mangalore United taking on Abhimanyu Mithun’s Hubli Tigers in the 3 pm game on August 7.

The second game of the opening day pits Karun Nair’s Mysuru Warriors against K Gowtham’s Shivamogga Strikers at 7 PM.