Emergence of talent at the MAHARAJA
- ANIRUDHA R NIJAGAL
2008 saw the birth of a superstar sensation that went on to become a tournament worth hundreds of crores, cementing its place amongst the worlds most popular and high-quality tournaments and undoubtedly crickets’ greatest ever.
Of course, I am talking about the Indian Premiere League
We speak volumes about this tournament endlessly, don’t we?
And its all worth it because IPL is a brand in India which is not only carrying the sports’ tradition but also teaching the branding skills for an uncontrollably successful Business Venture. If Business is one part of it, there is another where it gloriously distributes inspiration for creating such tournaments with franchise culture in other sports as well. Indians enjoy it watching, but it’s a very recent find that Indians enjoy it playing as well. In a populous country like India where the citizens are brimming with talent and skills, a situation arises where introducing such tournaments in smaller capacities & large numbers is not an option, but a mandate.
If we talk about such tournaments in smaller capacities in the same sport of Cricket, it’s a fascinating fact that almost all the states in India in association with their respective cricket boards have come up with tournaments like these to manufacture talent and hone the skills of its players into a competitive level so that the players are ready to face the bigger stages without much mental preparation.
Let’s talk about a tournament that’s making rounds in the country with its quality and quantity. KSCA hosts the KSCA Maharaja Trophy that allows players from Karnataka emerging from various zones showcase their talent to the cricketing world through a competitive T20 Tournament. It kickstarted in 2022 replacing the KPL – Karnataka Premeire League which had led to certain disputes during its days. In 2022, the KSCA introduced a tournament in the name of a Maharaja of the Mysuru Samsthana – Srikanthadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar who was once the president of the KSCA. The 2025 edition of the Maharaja Trophy also was moved from Bengaluru to the Srikanthadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar Cricket Stadium in Mysuru.
This tournament has groomed so many youngsters who are starting to get the opportunities in bigger stages. Domestic Cricket has always been India’s best friend. But franchise culture has made pressure handling factor its best feature. Pressure Handling becomes first priority to talented players who make their entries into bigger stages, so Maharaja Trophy in Karnataka is grooming some fine players who are eventually making their performances speak for themselves in the domestic tournaments.
Here are 5 players who seem to have created a reputation for themselves in Karnataka through the Maharaja Trophy Edition 2025 that took place in Mysuru
1. Smaran Ravichandran: The second highest run-scorer in the 2025 Maharaja Trophy. Playing for Gulbarga Mystics, Smaran has played a vital role for them in the middle order. He has a reputation of having scored a hundred in the final of the recent Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Smaran is supremely talented with noticeable temperament which makes him the next big thing to make strides into bigger stages. He already belongs to Sunrisers Hyderabad franchise who had drafted him during the 2025 IPL season as an injury replacement.
2. Sharath B R: Wicket-keeper batter from Bengaluru has been playing for Karnataka for some time now. He’s a senior pro who has made his impact felt for Karnataka in the domestic tournaments before. 2025 Maharaja has helped him announce that he is still Karnataka’s go to keeper-batter who can groom the likes of KL Shrijith.
3. Yash Raj Punja: A newbie who made his impact felt in 2025 Maharaja Trophy eventually turned out to be the second highest wicket taker this year. Slim, Tall, Fit spinner who played for Hubli Tigers played a major role in them qualifying to the knockouts in this edition of the Maharaja Trophy.
4. Kranthi Kumar: Aged 31, Kranthi Kumar has a lot of experience in playing such tournaments. He has represented Andhra before, so with such vast experience in different conditions Kranthi showcased his skills by picking up most number of wickets in this edition of Maharaja Trophy.
5. Vidyadhar Patil: Even though this tournament belonged to the spinners, Vidyadhar Patil being a speedster picked 11 wickets. He’s a firm member of the Karnataka domestic team and has a promise in him which can elevate him to bigger stages. He even picked 11 wickets in this edition of Maharaja.
