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Maharaja Trophy 2024 began last night (August 15) in Bengaluru with a double-header contest. Gulbarga Mystics locked horns with home team Bengaluru Blasters in the first match, where the Blasters recorded a comfortable nine-wicket win. Later in the evening, Mysore Warriors defeated Shivamogga Lions by seven runs via D/L method.
Two other teams, namely Hubli Tigers and Mangalore Dragons are a part of Maharaja Trophy 2024. It is the premier T20 league of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), with several top cricketers of the state participating as well. Experienced IPL stars like Karun Nair, Mayank Agarwal, Prasidh Krishna, J Suchith, Manish Pandey, and Shreyas Gopal are playing in this tournament.
Apart from the seasoned pro, many youngsters of Karnataka have also earned a place in the squads of Maharaja Trophy 2024 teams. In this listicle now, we will look at the five young batters to keep tabs on during this tournament.
#1 Devdutt Padikkal is playing for Gulbarga Mystics in Maharaja Trophy 2024
Devdutt Padikkal is one of the most popular cricketers participating in this competition. The left-handed batter, who made his Test debut for India earlier this year, is a member of the Gulbarga Mystics team.
Padikkal has not received a single opportunity in T20I cricket since 2021. Even in the IPL, he struggled while playing for the Lucknow Super Giants. The 24-year-old will be keen to regain his form and score heaps of runs in this T20 tournament.
#2 LR Chethan, Bengaluru Blasters
LR Chethan announced his arrival in style with a century for Bengaluru Blasters against Shivamogga in 2022. He scored a brilliant 55-ball 105, which helped Bengaluru win the league game by 25 runs.
Chethan is a member of the Bengaluru team in the ongoing Maharaja Trophy 2024 tournament. In fact, the 24-year-old opener smacked a match-winning half-century against Gulbarga Mystics yesterday.
#3 Thippa Reddy, Hubli Tigers
23-year-old left-handed batter Thippa Reddy has moved from Mangalore Dragons to Hubli Tigers this season. Playing for the Dragons last season, Reddy blasted a magnificent 47-ball 82 in the league match against Shivamogga Lions.
Reddy came out to bat at number four when the team's score was 10/2 in the fourth over. He hit 11 fours and two sixes in his 47-ball knock, where he maintained a phenomenal strike rate of 174.46. Dragons won that game by 15 runs. Tigers fans will hope for similar performances from Thippa.
#4 Lankesh KS, Mangalore Dragons
Lankesh KS donned the Mysore Warriors jersey last year and won the Man of the Match award in the league game against Mangalore Dragons. He scored an unbeaten 45-ball 68 to help Mangalore chase down a 141-run target with seven wickets in hand.
This year, Lankesh has joined the Mangalore Dragons team. It will be interesting to see if the 22-year-old left-handed batter can produce similar performances for his new team.
#5 Bangalore Mohith, Shivamogga Lions
Bangalore Mohith is a 25-year-old wicketkeeper batter, who represented Gulbarga Mystics in 2022 and Hubli Tigers in 2023. This season, he has joined the Shivamogga Lions team.
Mohith showed promise with the bat in the previous two seasons, but he could not play any big knocks. Having joined a new team this time, Mohith will be keen to display his batting talent while batting alongside Gujarat Titans star Abhinav Manohar. The latter is also in the Shivamogga team for Maharaja Trophy 2024.
