Over 700 cricketers from across the state were part of the player auction at M Chinnaswamy Stadium
Bengaluru, 22 July 2023: 
Shriram Capital Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20, powered by FanCode returns for its second edition as over 700 players from Karnataka went under the hammer on Saturday, July 22nd for the player auction at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Six franchises, including the two new teams in Mangalore Dragons and Shivamogga Lions along with defending champions Gulbarga Mystics, last year’s runners-up Bengaluru Blasters, Mysore Warriors and Hubli Tigers battled it out for the state’s finest players with the hope of building a team that would help them attain the coveted Maharaja Trophy.
All six franchises demonstrated a clear emphasis on top-order batting with the day’s most expensive players being Abhinav Manohar, Devdutt Padikkal, Mayank Agarwal and Manish Pandey.
Abhinav Manohar went to the Shivamogga Lions for 15 Lakhs, while ace opener Mayank Agarwal will don the Kalyani Bengaluru Blasters jersey for yet another campaign at a price of 14 Lakhs. The left-handed big-hitter Devdutt Padikkal was purchased by the Gulbarga Mystics for 13.2 Lakhs and the experienced Manish Pandey’s services were sought by the Hubli Tigers for 10.6 Lakhs.
The auction proved to be an enthralling affair, keeping the franchises and the viewers on the edge of their seats. Over 700 cricketers from across the state were slotted in four categories based on their credentials.
Six franchises, including the two new teams in Mangalore Dragons and Shivamogga Lions along with defending champions Gulbarga Mystics, last year’s runners-up Bengaluru Blasters, Mysore Warriors and Hubli Tigers battled it out for the state’s finest players with the hope of building a team that would help them attain the coveted Maharaja Trophy.
All six franchises demonstrated a clear emphasis on top-order batting with the day’s most expensive players being Abhinav Manohar, Devdutt Padikkal, Mayank Agarwal and Manish Pandey.
Abhinav Manohar went to the Shivamogga Lions for 15 Lakhs, while ace opener Mayank Agarwal will don the Kalyani Bengaluru Blasters jersey for yet another campaign at a price of 14 Lakhs. The left-handed big-hitter Devdutt Padikkal was purchased by the Gulbarga Mystics for 13.2 Lakhs and the experienced Manish Pandey’s services were sought by the Hubli Tigers for 10.6 Lakhs.
The auction proved to be an enthralling affair, keeping the franchises and the viewers on the edge of their seats. Over 700 cricketers from across the state were slotted in four categories based on their credentials.
In Category A, the Lions also secured the services of all-rounder Shreyas Gopal for 7.8 Lakhs. Last year’s champions, Gulbarga Mystics purchased pacer Vyshakh Vijay Kumar (8.8 Lakhs) and veteran spinner Appanna KP for 4 Lakhs. The Kalyani Bengaluru Blasters secured the fast bowler Abhimanyu Mithun for 5.2 Lakhs.
Hubli Tigers also bought the leggie KC Cariappa for 7.2 Lakhs and all-rounder Pravin Dubey for 5.8 Lakhs. Ace all-rounder Krishnappa Gowtham went to Mangaluru Dragons for INR.6.6 Lakhs along with speedster Ronit More for INR 4.6 Lakhs. Mysore Warriors also secured the left arm spinner, J Suchit for 8.4 Lakhs, fast bowler Prasidh M Krishna for 7.4 Lakhs while veteran batter Karun Nair returned to them for 6.8 Lakhs.
Highlights from Category B included all-rounder Manoj S Bhandage going back to the Mysore Warriors for INR 9 Lakhs, wicketkeeper Luvnith Sisodiaa and pacer Vidhyadhar Patil were bought by the Kalyani Bengaluru Blaster for 7.1 Lakhs and 7 Lakhs respectively. While the explosive Nikin Jose went to the Mangaluru Dragons for 7 Lakhs. Hard-hitter Chetan LR was bagged by the Gulbarga Mystics for 6.2 Lakhs.
Reflecting his thoughts on the player auction today, BK Sampath Kumar, Commissioner of Maharaja Trophy and Hon. Vice President of KSCA said, “With the return to the franchise model, it was great to see the enthusiasm from all the team owners at today’s auction. Over 700 players were featured in the auction and that is a testament to cricket in Karnataka. We believe this is a great platform for youngsters across Karnataka to play with some of the state and India’s finest players. Furthermore, this edition will be exclusively held at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium allowing players from all over the state to play at an international facility.”
The tournament kicks off on the 13th of August, with the final scheduled for 29th August.
The cricketing extravaganza will be broadcast live on Star Sports 2 and Star Sports Kannada, while the FanCode app will serve as the digital streaming partner.
Full Team List
Gulbarga Mystics- Devdutt Padikkal, Appana KP, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Sharath Srinivas, Chethan LR, Mohammed Aqib Jawad, Smaran R, Aneesh KV, Macne…
