NEW DELHI: Right-arm leggie Shreyas Gopal, who will be sharing dressing rooms with former India captain MS Dhoni in the coming Indian Premier League (IPL), led Karnataka to a dominant victory over Sikkim in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy on Friday, taking a sensational five-wicket haul to dismiss Sikkim for just 82 runs.
Gopal’s exceptional figures of 5/13 in four overs helped reduce Sikkim to a modest total, with only Ashish Thapa coming up with 18 runs, the highest for Sikkim.
Gopal’s relentless bowling, coupled with support from Vidyadhar Patil (3/10), restricted Sikkim’s batting lineup, which crumbled under pressure.
Sikkim’s innings ended in the 18.2 over, leaving Karnataka with a small target to chase.
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In reply, Karnataka raced to the target, chasing down Sikkim’s total with ease in just 5.4 overs.
Manish Pandey’s blistering 30 off 13 balls led the charge, while KL Shrijith contributed with a quickfire 37 off 13 balls.
Karnataka lost just two wickets, with Mayank Agarwal falling early, and Shrijith was dismissed by Mohammad Saptula. Karnataka finished with a commanding 86/2, winning by 8 wickets.
Shreyas Gopal’s exceptional all-round performance earned him the Player of the Match award, as he not only dominated with the ball but also ensured Karnataka maintained control throughout the game.
His spell was a key factor in Sikkim’s downfall, and the win helped Karnataka continue their strong campaign in the tournament.
Besides the Karnataka fans, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) aficionados must’ve been overjoyed by his performance after the IPL franchise snapped up Gopal for his base price of 30 lakh during the two-day-long 2025 mega-auction.
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