If single outstanding performances are what the Maharaja Trophy 2024 was to witness, then there is one cricketer who has utterly failed to get into the groove: none other than Mayank Agarwal of India. Though being the captain of the Bengaluru Blasters and having many eyes on him, his recent outings have been disappointing.
The worrying sign for the veteran batter, Agarwal, was when he fell for a golden duck for the second time in a row in Match 16 of Mangalore Dragons. In the previous match against the Hubli Tigers, the same thing happened to Agarwal, who departed without troubling the scorers. This time, he faced just the third ball of the innings and a fuller delivery from Abhilash Shetty took a thick edge, finding its way into the wicketkeeper’s gloves.
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While Agarwal himself has not been in great form, his side has still ended up performing well, winning three out of four going into their game against the Dragons—good enough to keep them third on the points table. The Blasters’ top-order troubles persisted as both Agarwal and Naveen MG fell without a run on the board.
ಓಪನಿಂಗ್ನಲ್ಲೇ ಮಯಾಂಕ್ ಅವರ ವಿಕೆಟ್ ಪಡೆದ ಡ್ರ್ಯಾಗನ್ಸ್…💥
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Another key batsman, Bhuvan Raju, managed only two runs. Opener LR Chethan did provide some solidity with a 30-run knock. The real rescue act came from the lower middle order, with Suraj Ahuja stroking 38 off 25 balls and Kranthi Kumar contributing 39 off 28 before being run out.
Their efforts helped the Blasters post a competitive total of 144 in their 20 overs, despite a shaky start. The other side, Mangalore Dragons, led by Shreyas Gopal, has found itself in dire straits. With just one win from four games and their last match washed out because of rain, they languish near the bottom of the table.
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The victory in Match 16 was much needed by the Dragons to keep their hopes alive in this tournament and maybe cause a scare with one of the top teams in the league. Thus, the clash was an opportunity for a turnaround to regain their fortunes and climb up the rankings ladder—making this encounter all the more important.
