AI Simulation, KR vs MM | Skipper Karan plays captain's knock in final to help Kashi lift second UPT20 title

Pitch and Weather

Meerut Mavericks won the toss and decided to bowl first keeping in mind the heavy dew factor at play in Lucknow.

Kashi Rudras: Abhishek Goswami, Karan Sharma(c), Bhavy Goyal, Uvais Ahmad(wk), Shubham Chaubey, Saksham Rai, Shiva Singh, Kartik Yadav, Shivam Mavi, Atal Bihari Rai, Sunil Kumar

Meerut Mavericks: Swastik Chikara, Akshay Dubey(wk), Madhav Kaushik(c), Rituraj Sharma, Ritik Vats, Yash Garg, Zeeshan Ansari, Vijay Kumar, Vishal Chaudhary, Kartik Tyagi, Prashanth Chaudhary

Asked to bat first, Swastik Chikara wasted no time in becoming his team's eading run-scorer in UPT20 2025 with a stunning blitzkrieg early on, flaying four boundaries and a maximum in the powerplay itself. However, Akshay Dubey failed to find rhythm at the other end and after tagging along for a 48-run opeing stand finally fell victim to Shivam Mavi in the sixth over for a 14-ball effort of 18. Chikara himself fell soon after once the fielding restrictions were lifted after tallying 32 runs in 21 deliveries, leaving two new batters Madhav Kaushik and Rituraj Sharma at the crease. The duo took their time to stabilize the innings by minimizng the risks till the halfway stage, manging just 22 runs in the four-over period in the process. Kaushik eventually decided to take on leg-spinner Zeeshan Ansari and a brilliant takedown followed in the 12th over, featuring two fours and a maximum to take the partnership past 50. However, Ansari had the final laugh when he struck down the batter three short of a half-century, ending his 35-ball stay at the crease with the score 123/3 after 14 overs. His departure provoked Rituraj to take on the role of aggressor but the batter failed to execute his plans and fell soon after, yet again leaving two new batters at the crease. The Rudras took this opportunity to firmly grip momentum, triggering a mini-collapse with a frequent fall of wickets amidst a couple of daring blows from their rivals. Mavi was particularly impressive at the death, giving away just eight runs in his final two overs and scalping two wickets in the process to restrict the Mavericks to 168/7 in their 20 overs.

In response, the Rudras followed the same template as their opponents with Abhishek Goswami taking on Meerut's new ball attacks with aplomb while Karan Sharma held steady at the other end. The former struck three boundaries and a maximum in his 18-ball stay for 28 before falling in the powerplay itself but with the score already reading a daunting 50/1 after six. Karan and Bhavy Gopal kept the scorecard ticking thereafter with singles and quick doubles, further reducing the deficit to 91 required off the final 10 overs. However, before the partnership could get threatening, Meerut removed Bhavy and Uvais Ahmad in quick succession to bring the game right back into the balance. Yet, before they could convert their edge into a concrete advantage, Karan found his groove and accumulated 24 runs off two overs to bring up a 38-ball half-century. Unfortunately, the skipper could not lead his team to the end as he succumbed to Kartik Tyagi in the 16th over, leaving his team 40 to get off the final five. A couple more tight overs from Rudras threatened a late upset but Shubham Chaubey (23 off 16) and Saksham Rai (18* off 11) held their nerves to guide their team to victory, the latter sealing the deal with a boundary off Vijay Kumar with three balls to spare.     

Kaashi Rudras skipper Karan Sharma was named man of the match for his knock of 52 in just 40 deliveries, laced with six fours and a boundary that saw his team chase down a target of 169 with three balls to spare.

Scorecard