MPL T20 Scindia Cup 2026: Kumar Kartikeya spins a web with hattrick as Royal Nimar Eagles defeat Bhopal Leopards

Indore, June 22 (IANS) Royal Nimar Eagles produced a dominant all-round performance to register a comprehensive eight-wicket victory over Bhopal Leopards in a rain-curtailed encounter of the Madhya Pradesh League (MPL) T20 Scindia Cup 2026 at the Holkar Stadium in Indore. The match was reduced to 13 overs per side due to rain.

Bhopal Leopards were bowled out for 107 in their allotted 13 overs against Royal Nimar Eagles, with the innings being headlined by a sensational spell from IPL star Kumar Kartikeya. Drawing on his experience at the highest level, the left-arm spinner produced a match-winning performance that played a crucial role in helping the Eagles secure a top-two finish in the league stage. The left-arm spinner claimed a remarkable six-wicket haul and completed a hattrick, finishing with figures of 6/24 from his three overs.

The Leopards suffered an early setback, losing Tanishq Yadav and skipper Aniket Verma cheaply to slump to 15/2 in 2.3 overs. Rahul Chandrol and Ansh Bagadia then attempted to revive the innings with a valuable 45-run partnership for the third wicket.

Chandrol led the counterattack with 39 off 23 deliveries before being dismissed, while Bagadia chipped in with 24 off 18. However, once the partnership was broken, the Leopards struggled to build any momentum and kept losing wickets at regular intervals.

Kartikeya then ran through the middle and lower order with a devastating spell. He began his hattrick by having Pawan Nirwani stumped for 5 off 6 balls, before clean bowling Pranjul Puri with the very next delivery. The spinner completed the milestone by trapping Anurag Malviya in front of the stumps. This is the third hattrick of MPL 2026.

Parush Mandal produced another impactful performance and made a significant contribution with the ball, picking up 2/12 from his three overs, while Dharmesh Patel chipped in with one wicket, conceding 19 runs in his two-over spell.

In reply, Royal Nimar Eagles made light work of the chase, reaching the target in just 9.2 overs. Openers Dharmesh Patel and Himanshu Mantri provided a solid start, adding 29 runs for the first wicket before Patel departed for 15 off 13 deliveries.

Mantri then joined forces with Kanishk Dubey, and the pair took the attack to the opposition, stitching together a brisk 53-run partnership for the second wicket. Mantri played an aggressive knock of 31 off 17 balls before being dismissed, but Dubey continued to dominate the bowling attack.

The right-hander brought up a sparkling half-century and found able support from Anand Bais at number four as the duo guided the Eagles comfortably towards victory. Dubey remained unbeaten on a blistering 51 off just 19 deliveries, smashing six sixes during his innings, while Bais chipped in with an unbeaten 12 off 8 balls as Royal Nimar Eagles sealed the win in emphatic fashion.

Reflecting on team’s win and his hattrick, Kartikeya said, “I’m really happy to have taken the hattrick. My focus was simply on bowling my best delivery and sticking to the plan. When the umpire initially gave the batter not out, I was quite confident it was out because I felt the ball had struck him right in front. After discussing it with my teammates, we decided to take the review and fortunately it went our way.”

“The atmosphere in the team has been very positive throughout the competition. We are approaching every game with the mindset of playing a knockout match. That mindset has helped us stay focused and motivated. We knew that if we could restrict the opposition to a manageable total, we would put ourselves in a strong position,” he concluded.

–IANS

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