The Warrior Way: Mysore Warriors' Maharaja Trophy success sown by the seeds of unity and culture [Exclusive]

It's been just over a week since the Mysore Warriors clinched the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 2024, ending a decade-long trophy wait having last won the cup in 2014 - when the tournament was called the Karnataka Premier League.

2024 seems to be the year teams are happy to fulfill the 10-year challenge. Just ask the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), who broke their trophy drought with a dominant IPL campaign.

In a much more crammed tournament with far little time to get the team under one roof, the Mysore Warriors held the trophy aloft on September 1 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, overcoming the Bengaluru Blasters by 45 runs in the finale.

Almost exactly a year earlier, skipper Karun Nair stood dejected after his team suffered defeat in the summit clash to the Hubli Tigers. He did tell the thousands of fans who drove down from Mysuru for the final though that they would try and go a step better the next year.

And so the Warriors did, in pretty convincing style at that. Redemption was complete, with Karun showing the way in a Player of the Tournament-winning worthy 560-run campaign as he topped the charts.

"It was very satisfying", Karun tells Sportskeeda as part of a round-table discussion after the final. "At the start of the tournament we had told ourselves - at least at the auction, I told Arjun (Ranga, the owner) sir and RX (Murali, the head coach) sir that whatever team that you guys pick for us will do well, and if at all we get the opportunity again to be in the final we will try and better what happened last year."

"We had the chance of winning it last year as well because I think we honestly had the upper hand for most part of the game but we just couldn’t finish it off as well as we could. That was quite disappointing so this year, we told ourselves that if we do give ourselves the opportunity, we will not let it go by and make sure that we get that trophy back home," he added.

It must have felt sweeter for Karun considering that this was his first big tournament in Karnataka having moved out to play for Vidarbha last season. But it was even more special for a homegrown Mysuru huduga (Mysuru boy), Jagadeesha Suchith, whose journey began with the Warriors in 2014 and has been associated with the franchise for eight seasons now.

"If you win a trophy, it's a special feeling but doing it for Mysore, after what we went through in the last ten years, adds more to the trophy. It’s kind of a relief that we've got the trophy, and we all know what kind of hardships we went through. But on a personal note and also contributing to the team and the way we played throughout the season, I think that's something which we need to be happy and we should be proud of," says a delighted Suchith.

The crux in the Warriors' setup lay in a robust core of experienced players. Suchith was one of the three big Karnataka stalwarts who headlined the team, with Karun and all-rounder Krishnappa Gowtham being the others.

Gowtham could well argue that this victory felt sweetest for him, having often moved teams in the Maharaja Trophy as well as the erstwhile-known KPL. As recently as 2023, he was the captain of the Mangaluru Dragons before being released into the auction pool.

He didn't have the weight of captaincy on his shoulders this time and by his own admission, he had little doubt over how seamless his return would be having come back 'home'. But there was something extra satisfying about his experience this time around - giving back to the next gen.

"Sharing the dressing room with the players, yeah you do cross paths somewhere or the other," says Gowtham. "They will be your teammates - in the Ranji Trophy, we were were together. We’ve played a lot of cricket together. But sharing a dressing room with a lot of youngsters, that makes a difference. They look up to you, they see how you prepare your game, or what is the thing you do to be successful. So it's more of you putting yourself in a place where you're not very familiar with the boys."

"They initially don't understand what is your preparation and how you prepare. But after a couple of sessions, they understand that each individual is different. Every individual has their own way of conducting themselves and preparing themselves."

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"I have learned over the years not to talk to the team at all" - Mysore Warriors owner Arjun Ranga

It wasn't a smooth ride by any stretch for the Warriors, who got off to a shaky start in the Maharaja Trophy 2024. A narrow win in a rain-affected encounter was followed by two defeats. Just when it seemed like they were on track though with a hat-trick of wins, the team hit a stumbling block courtesy of two big defeats to the Gulbarga Mystics and the Blasters.

For a team blessed with resources aplenty and depth in batting, their collapses with the bat correlated with those defeats and stuck out like a sore thumb. But it was no reason to look nervously over their shoulders ahead of the business end of the tournament.

"I think, usually teams panic when they hit a roadblock," says Arjun Ranga, the owner of the Warriors franchise. "Because we had experience…especially Karun and RX said that we need to back our boys. That's the Warrior way. All of them are talented at this level. They have the skill, you just need the reinforcement."

"Many a time, I would have wanted to do something differently but the senior group and more importantly Karun said that now we back these boys and give them the time, because it's a long tournament," he added. "And that's probably the reason why we peaked at the right time. The seniors took a lot of responsibility when we had those back to back losses pre qualification. Then the runway that we got with the two big wins that got us into the semis, you know, actually put us on the leapfrog to the semis and the finals."

The demarcation of roles and the culture within the team is evident in Mr. Ranga diving into his own role as the team owner having been a part of the tournament for over a decade now.

"I have learned over the years not to actually talk to the team at all. Apart from motivating them and imparting some level of culture and understanding, almost all my discussions will be limited to only the coaches and to a minimal extent, with the captain as well. But it's not about strategy or gameplay with the captain either. It's more overall culture, team and direction. Whatever feedback I need to give, I only discussed with the head coach and it was limited to that. And he would then take a judgment call on what is important for the team and what is not. Because he is far, far more experienced in this. If we have a different view, he would be able to then understand and simulate much better," says Mr. Ranga.

Elaborating further on wanting the team to go on and become good human beings and play for the greater good with their numerous social initiatives - be it tree plantation or eye surgeries - Mr. Ranga declared this to be the DNA of the franchise.

"Inculcating that culture within the team, kind of more of what we focus as owners. Gameplay and strategy, everything is managed by the coaches. Of course, I get a little bit more involved in the auction. But once the practice starts, it's all the coaches completely. RX and his team, they take over with the senior team," he says.

Suchith stated the team's confidence of being able to pull themselves back from any situation. A case in point was the aforementioned match against the Mystics when despite being reduced to 68/7 in the 12th over, the Warriors managed to post 154 thanks to Manoj Bhandage's 14-ball 38-run blitz and Suchith's own rearguard unbeaten 25 off 22 balls.

Suchith put it down to the confidence that the team had within themselves to be able to rack up a lot of runs at the death - something that also rubbed off on the younger crop such as Samit Dravid, Harshil Dharmani, and SU Karthik in terms of confidence.

"Myself, Gowtham and Manoj have been experienced enough at least in the Maharaja Trophy, and we've done it at the highest level. Manoj especially has been striking the ball really well in the last few overs. I think he’s the best batter Karnataka has right now lower down the order. So we had that confidence that we could pile up runs. If you see the aggregate of the runs we've put in the last five overs, it's amazing - we've averaged probably 60-65 runs every game in the last five overs," says Suchith.

Of course, role clarity married with an incredibly high degree of freedom in terms of flexibility played its part - something that the players agreed to unanimously.

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"We coaches are like service providers" - Mysore Warriors head coach RX Murali

It's been a fine year for coach RX Murali, who was part of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (or Bangalore as they were still called then) setup that clinched the Women's Premier League title. Deeming his role to be akin to that of a service provider, Murali terms it a privilege more than anything to work with this bunch of players.

"Keeping the dressing room happy, as well as keeping it calm is the most important thing. One big advantage that I have is I'm more or less like the Bheeshma Pitamaha of coaching. I've been seeing them from their formative years, so I have that kind of privilege of bonding with them. There are times when I've been a little harsh with them, but they've taken it in their stride.

"That's one major advantage that I had, but otherwise it's a privilege, it's an honor to be working with them. I don't think many coaches would get this kind of opportunity and privilege. We coaches are like service providers - we make sure that they are in the right frame. Every player needs a little bit of mirroring. That's what I keep doing - an honest review of what they're doing, good, bad or ugly," says Murali.

The Warriors are basking glory but the progression of the Maharaja Trophy in catapulting new names into the spotlight is as high as it has ever been. Suchith and Gowtham, two players who emerged out of this system, vouch for how the tournament keeps growing from strength to strength.

"I remember getting picked for the IPL after we won the KPL in 2014 so this tournament has helped me personally to reach greater heights. And I'm sure as far as white ball cricket is concerned, this is the ideal platform for the youngsters to prove what they're capable of. There are four boys in the India U19 squad already - Hardik Raj, Samarth Nagraj, Samit Dravid and Kartikeya KP. That’s a great thing for Karnataka cricket. Going forward, if they are able to replicate what they're able to do at the biggest stage - I'm talking about the Ranji Trophy - Karnataka will have a lot of lot more success," says Suchith.

But with every year pretty much being a mega auction, surely the Warriors want to keep this core of players intact? Mr. Ranga was firm in agreement with that notion, even as he acknowledged the reason behind the Karnataka State Cricket Association wanting every team to get an opportunity to get the best players.

"As franchise owners, we are talking to the KSCA to see how they can ensure that there's a long term association so we can also conduct year round camps training, continue to associate with our players, and help them with their fitness recovery and all of that. That will really help us, not just tournament to tournament and that's something we are looking forward to as well, just like how the IPL teams do," says Mr. Ranga.

Whether that transpires or not in forthcoming editions of the Maharaja Trophy remains to be seen. But for now, after weeks of hardwork and what truly has been a rollercoaster ride, there's no reason to stop celebrating a glorious campaign the Warriors!