Nagpur, Feb 2 : Karnataka on Friday lifted the Nagesh Trophy after defeating Andhra Pradesh by nine wickets in the final of Men's National T20 Cricket Tournament for the Blind 2023-24 here on Friday, claiming a title at the national level after 20 years.

Andhra Pradesh set a formidable target by posting 237/5 in 20 overs in the final, showcasing a commendable performance. However, Karnataka displayed remarkable resilience to reach 241/1, chasing down the target with just two balls to spare, concluding the tournament with a thrilling finish for visually impaired cricketers.

Following 71 days of competition, featuring fiery batting and bowling performances, Karnataka claimed the coveted Nagesh Trophy. Sunil Ramesh was named as the Player of the Match.

Andhra Pradesh, a formidable team that dominated the tournament for a significant duration, emerged as the second-best team.

In the B1 category, Naresh Tumda (Gujarat), in B2 Dunna Venkateshwara Rao (Andhra Pradesh) and B3 Sunil Ramesh (Karnataka) won the Player of the Series award. The winning team received a cash prize of INR 1,04,000 while the runners-up got INR 80,000. The Player of the Series got INR 10,000 each. The player of the match received INR 3000. Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI), Cricket Association for the Blind in Vidarbha and Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled organised the knockout matches at Nagpur.

Put into bat first, Andhra got off to a good start with in-form batter T. Durga Rao and D. Venkateswara Rao starting the innings from where they left the other day. However, Venkateswara's stint was cut short in the 7th over.

Durga Rao and Ajay Kumar Reddy then carried the innings with the captain scoring the century. The side reached 185/2 in the 16th over. Andhra continued their momentum and kept the scoreboard ticking. In the 17th over, Andhra breached the 200-run mark and went on to put on a total of 237/5 in the allotted 20 overs in the Nagesh Trophy final. T. Durga Rao, the captain of Andhra smashed 128 runs in 72 balls.

In response, Karnataka faced an early setback losing the first wicket in the opening over. Nevertheless, Sunil Ramesh and Gudadappa orchestrated a spectacular 186-run partnership before Gudadappa retired. Sunil Ramesh's explosive innings of 149 runs in 67 balls guided Karnataka to victory and was named the Player of the Match.

Nagesh Trophy was launched in the memory of Late SP Nagesh, Founder President, Cricket Association for the Blind in India and Founder Trustee, Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled. The launch of the tournament brought together the entire blind cricket community into one huge platform, by creating a milestone in blind cricket history.

/IANS