Karnataka Bulldozers defeated Vels Chennai Kings by 3 wickets in the Semi Final of the Celebrity Cricket League 2026 on January 31.
Karnataka Bulldozers chased down 161 runs with just 1 ball to spare in a nail-biting semi final. Karthik Jayaram played a match-winning knock of 50 runs off 44 balls. Despite Vikranth Santhosh’s explosive 66 off 24 balls, Vels Chennai Kings could not defend their total and crashed out of CCL 2026.
Vels Chennai Kings vs Karnataka Bulldozers Match Summary
| Team | Innings | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Vels Chennai Kings | 160/10 (19.5 overs) | Lost |
| Karnataka Bulldozers | 161/7 (19.5 overs) | Won by 3 wickets |
Vels Chennai Kings batted first in the semi final. Ramana Amar and Vikranth Santhosh opened the innings. Ramana struggled to find his rhythm and scored just 2 runs off 8 balls. But Vikranth Santhosh attacked from ball one and set the stage on fire.
Vikranth Santhosh played one of the best innings of CCL 2026. He smashed 66 runs off just 24 balls at an incredible strike rate of 275. His innings included 9 fours and 3 sixes. He took the Karnataka bowlers apart in the powerplay overs.
The opening partnership produced 53 runs before Ramana Amar fell in the 5th over. Shantanu Bhagyaraj could only add 5 runs before getting out. Vels Chennai Kings lost Prithvi Pandiarajan for a duck as the middle order collapsed quickly.
Vels Chennai Kings Middle Order Struggles
Vikranth Santhosh’s dismissal at 79/4 changed the momentum completely. He got out in the 8th over after a blistering start. The remaining batters could not maintain the same intensity.
Adhav Kannadasan tried to rebuild the innings. He scored 31 runs off 26 balls with 3 fours and 1 six. His strike rate of 119.23 kept the scoreboard ticking. Dasarathi contributed 12 runs off 10 balls with 1 four and 1 six.
Ashok Selvan managed 12 runs off 16 balls but struggled to rotate strike. Sharan Kumar added 9 runs off 11 balls. The lower order could not accelerate as Karnataka bowlers kept taking wickets at regular intervals.
Karnataka Bulldozers Bowling Dominates
Sachin produced an outstanding bowling performance. He claimed 3 wickets for just 17 runs in his 4 overs. His economy rate of 4.25 was the best in the match. He broke the backbone of Vels Chennai Kings’ batting.
Chandan Kumar supported him with 2 wickets for 22 runs in 4 overs. His economy of 5.50 kept the pressure on batters. Karan Aryan also picked up 2 crucial wickets while giving away 20 runs in 3 overs.
Prathap Kuri took the final wicket to wrap up the innings. Vels Chennai Kings were bowled out for 160 in 19.5 overs. The target of 161 looked achievable on this pitch.
Karnataka Bulldozers Chase Starts Strong
Darling Krishna Ganesh and Nirup Bhandari opened the chase for Karnataka. Both openers attacked from the start. Nirup Bhandari played aggressively and scored 25 runs off just 14 balls. His innings included 4 fours and 1 six at a strike rate of 178.57.
Darling Krishna Ganesh provided solid support with 20 runs off 18 balls. The opening partnership of 40 runs gave Karnataka a flying start. However, Nirup Bhandari got out in the 4th over and the momentum shifted briefly.
Karnataka lost Chandan Kumar for a duck on the very next ball. They slipped from 40/1 to 40/2 in quick succession. Darling Krishna Ganesh fell at 57/3 and Rajeev Hanu followed him for a duck at 58/4.
Karthik Jayaram Anchors the Chase
Karthik Jayaram walked in at a crucial stage. He steadied the innings with a composed knock. Karan Aryan joined him and played some attacking shots. Karan scored 23 runs off 15 balls with 2 fours and 1 six.
The partnership between Jayaram and Karan Aryan added 37 runs for the 5th wicket. This partnership brought Karnataka back into the contest. Karan got out at 95/5 but Jayaram continued his patient innings.
Manjunath Gowda contributed 14 runs off 10 balls with 1 six. Kichcha Sudeep added another crucial 14 runs off 13 balls. Both batters supported Jayaram well during the middle overs.
Karthik Jayaram completed his fifty off 44 balls with 4 fours and 3 sixes. His dismissal at 152/7 in the 19th over created some tension. Karnataka still needed 9 runs off 6 balls with just 3 wickets in hand.
Prathap Kuri finished the game with a quickfire 6 off 3 balls. He hit a boundary to seal the victory with 1 ball remaining. Karnataka Bulldozers reached 161/7 and booked their place in the CCL 2026 final.
Key Match Statistics
Top Scorers:
- Vikranth Santhosh (VCK): 66 off 24 balls (9 fours, 3 sixes)
- Karthik Jayaram (KB): 50 off 44 balls (4 fours, 3 sixes)
- Adhav Kannadasan (VCK): 31 off 26 balls (3 fours, 1 six)
- Nirup Bhandari (KB): 25 off 14 balls (4 fours, 1 six)
- Karan Aryan (KB): 23 off 15 balls (2 fours, 1 six)
Top Bowlers:
- Sachin (KB): 3 wickets for 17 runs (4 overs)
- Chandan Kumar (KB): 2 wickets for 22 runs (4 overs)
- Karan Aryan (KB): 2 wickets for 20 runs (3 overs)
- Adhav Kannadasan (VCK): 2 wickets for 30 runs (4 overs)
- Pari (VCK): 2 wickets for 29 runs (4 overs)
Fall of Wickets (Vels Chennai Kings):
- 53/1 (Ramana Amar, 4.2 overs)
- 74/2 (Shantanu Bhagyaraj, 5.3 overs)
- 75/3 (Prithvi Pandiarajan, 6.3 overs)
- 79/4 (Vikranth Santhosh, 7.2 overs)
- 85/5 (Sathya, 8.2 overs)
- 92/6 (Sharan Kumar, 10.3 overs)
- 118/7 (Ashok Selvan, 14.4 overs)
- 132/8 (Dasarathi, 16.4 overs)
- 155/9 (Adhav Kannadasan, 18.6 overs)
- 160/10 (Pari, 19.5 overs)
Fall of Wickets (Karnataka Bulldozers):
- 40/1 (Nirup Bhandari, 3.4 overs)
- 40/2 (Chandan Kumar, 4.1 overs)
- 57/3 (Darling Krishna Ganesh, 8.2 overs)
- 58/4 (Rajeev Hanu, 8.3 overs)
- 95/5 (Karan Aryan, 13.2 overs)
- 113/6 (Manjunath Gowda, 15.4 overs)
- 152/7 (Karthik Jayaram, 18.5 overs)
Karnataka Bulldozers sealed a thrilling 3-wicket victory in the semi final. Karthik Jayaram’s patient fifty guided them to the target. Despite Vikranth Santhosh’s explosive start, Vels Chennai Kings could not post a big enough total. Karnataka Bulldozers will now face the winner of the other semi final in the CCL 2026 Grand Final.
