Karnataka Bulldozers lifted the CCL 2026 trophy after defeating Bengal Tigers by 6 wickets in the Final on February 1.
In a dominant display, Karnataka Bulldozers chased down 130 runs with 20 balls to spare. Rajeev Hanu played a match-winning knock of 69 runs off just 37 balls. As a result, his explosive batting helped Karnataka clinch their first CCL title in style.
Bengal Tigers vs Karnataka Bulldozers Final Match Summary
| Team | Innings | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Bengal Tigers | 129/10 (20 overs) | Lost |
| Karnataka Bulldozers | 130/4 (16.4 overs) | Won by 6 wickets |
Bengal Tigers batted first in the summit clash. However, they lost early wickets and never recovered from a poor start. Uday Pratap fell for just 5 runs in the 2nd over. Shortly after, Jammy Banerjee departed for only 4 runs. Consequently, Bengal found themselves struggling at 16/2 within 3 overs.
Joy Kumar Mukherjee tried to rebuild the innings alongside Jisshu Sengupta. Together, they added 46 runs for the third wicket. Meanwhile, Sengupta contributed 17 runs off 17 balls with 1 four and 1 six. Unfortunately, his dismissal at 62/3 put Bengal under more pressure.
Joy Kumar Mukherjee Fights Alone
Joy Kumar Mukherjee remained the lone warrior for Bengal Tigers. He played a gritty knock of 54 runs off 44 balls. Moreover, his innings included 2 fours and 4 sixes at a strike rate of 122.73. However, he lacked support from the other end as wickets kept tumbling.
Rahul Mazumder added 10 runs off 10 balls before getting out. Subsequently, Yusuf Chishti fell for just 1 run off 7 balls. The middle order collapse continued as Ratnadip Ghosh and Aditya Roy Banerjee both fell for ducks. As a result, Bengal slipped from 96/4 to 99/8 in quick succession.
Indrasish Roy and Ananda Choudhuri added some late runs. The lower-order pair contributed 28 runs together. Indrasish Roy smashed 17 runs off 13 balls with 2 sixes. Additionally, Ananda Choudhuri scored 12 runs off 13 balls. Nevertheless, Bengal Tigers were bowled out for just 129 in 20 overs.
Prathap Kuri Leads Karnataka Bowling Attack
Prathap Kuri delivered a brilliant spell in the Final. He claimed 3 wickets for 28 runs in his 4 overs. Furthermore, his crucial breakthroughs in the middle overs broke Bengal’s batting.
Suneel Kumar supported him well with 2 wickets for 33 runs. Additionally, Kathik Jayaram picked up 1 wicket while giving away just 12 runs in 3 overs. Notably, his economy rate of 4.00 was the best among Karnataka bowlers. Karan Aryan also claimed 1 wicket and bowled a maiden over.
Rajeev Hanu Destroys Bengal Bowling
Karnataka Bulldozers started their chase positively despite losing Nirup Bhandari early. Rahul Mazumder trapped him lbw for just 2 runs in the first over. However, Rajeev Hanu walked in and launched an incredible assault on Bengal bowlers.
The opener smashed boundaries at will against the Bengal attack. He scored 69 runs off just 37 balls at a strike rate of 186.49. Remarkably, his innings included 14 fours and 1 six. Meanwhile, Darling Krishna Ganesh provided support at the other end with 7 runs off 20 balls.
Rajeev Hanu’s dismissal came at 85/2 in the 9th over. Ratnadip Ghosh finally removed him after he had already taken the game away from Bengal. Shortly after, Karan Aryan fell for 3 runs. Consequently, Karnataka slipped to 89/3 in the 11th over.
Manjunath Gowda Seals the Title
Despite losing Darling Krishna Ganesh at 100/4, Karnataka remained in control. Kathik Jayaram and Manjunath Gowda then joined forces to finish the chase. Together, the unbeaten pair added 30 runs without any trouble.
Manjunath Gowda played aggressively and scored 20 runs off 15 balls. His knock included 3 fours at a strike rate of 133.33. Meanwhile, Kathik Jayaram remained unbeaten on 15 off 16 balls. As a result, Karnataka Bulldozers reached 130/4 in just 16.4 overs.
Bengal Tigers Bowling Struggles
Ratnadip Ghosh was the only bright spot for Bengal Tigers with the ball. He claimed 3 wickets for just 17 runs in his 4 overs. Moreover, his ERA of 4.25 was excellent despite the losing record.
However, the other bowlers failed to contain Karnataka’s aggressive batting. Jammy Banerjee conceded 36 runs without taking a wicket. Similarly, Rahul Mazumder gave away 36 runs while picking up just 1 wicket. Therefore, the lack of bowling support cost Bengal Tigers the title.
Key Match Statistics
Top Scorers:
- Rajeev Hanu (KB): 69 off 37 balls (14 fours, 1 six)
- Joy Kumar Mukherjee (BT): 54 off 44 balls (2 fours, 4 sixes)
- Manjunath Gowda (KB): 20 off 15 balls (3 fours, 0 sixes)
- Jisshu Sengupta (BT): 17 off 17 balls (1 four, 1 six)
- Indrasish Roy (BT): 17 off 13 balls (0 fours, 2 sixes)
Top Bowlers:
- Prathap Kuri (KB): 3 wickets for 28 runs (4 overs)
- Ratnadip Ghosh (BT): 3 wickets for 17 runs (4 overs)
- Suneel Kumar (KB): 2 wickets for 33 runs (4 overs)
- Kathik Jayaram (KB): 1 wicket for 12 runs (3 overs)
Fall of Wickets (Bengal Tigers):
- 6/1 (Uday Pratap, 1.2 overs)
- 16/2 (Jammy Banerjee, 2.4 overs)
- 62/3 (Jisshu Sengupta, 9.3 overs)
- 96/4 (Joy Kumar Mukherjee, 13.2 overs)
- 97/5 (Yusuf Chishti, 14.3 overs)
- 97/6 (Ratnadip Ghosh, 14.4 overs)
- 98/7 (Aditya Roy Banerjee, 15.3 overs)
- 99/8 (Rahul Mazumder, 15.5 overs)
- 127/9 (Indrasish Roy, 19.4 overs)
- 129/10 (Ananda Choudhuri, 19.6 overs)
Fall of Wickets (Karnataka Bulldozers):
- 2/1 (Nirup Bhandari, 0.5 overs)
- 85/2 (Rajeev Hanu, 8.6 overs)
- 89/3 (Karan Aryan, 10.3 overs)
- 100/4 (Darling Krishna Ganesh, 12.3 overs)
Final Word
Ultimately, Rajeev Hanu’s explosive 69 off 37 balls proved to be the match-winning knock. His 14 boundaries demolished the Bengal Tigers bowling attack. Moreover, Prathap Kuri’s 3-wicket haul restricted Bengal to a below-par total. Therefore, Karnataka Bulldozers lifted the CCL 2026 trophy with a comprehensive 6-wicket victory.
