Manish Pandey in action for KKR (Source: AFP Photos)
More often than not, Manish Pandey made it count whenever he got an opportunity to shine. On Monday, it happened again on Monday when the KKR veteran was in action in Match 6 of the Maharaja T20 Trophy 2026 at Srikantadatta Narasimha Raja Wadeyar Ground.
Pandey, now 36 years old, is the captain of Gulbarga Mystics, one of the six teams in the Maharaja T20 Trophy 2026. He was up against Coastal Kings Mangaluru where he made fireworks, that too after coming to bat as late as No. 6.
Manish Pandey Lights Up Maharaja T20 Trophy
Coming at No. 6, Manish Pandey made 70 runs off just 34 balls, which had seven fours and three sixes. It was his second outing in the ongoing edition of the competition, having made 19 off 16 balls in the first match.
Unfortunately, the heroic knock from Gulbarga Mystics captain did not help them get the result they were looking for. Coastal Kings Mangaluru opener Nikin Jose smashed an unbeaten 47-ball century, ably supported by captain Karun Nair’s 36-ball 56, to ruin the mood in the Gulbarga Mystics camp.
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Gulbarga Mystics were bundled out of 177 in 19.5 overs, while Coastal Kings Mangaluru got past the finishing line with eight wickets and 21 balls in hand.
With that, Manish Pandey’s Gulbarga Mystics remained at the bottom of the Maharaja T20 Trophy 2026 points table, with two defeats in two matches.
When Will Pandey's Gulbarga Mystics Play Next?
Gulbarga Mystics, Maharaja T20 Trophy 2022 champions, will next play Shivamogga Yodhas. This would as quick as Match 7 of the ongoing edition, as the match is scheduled to get underway at 2.30 PM IST onwards on Tuesday (June 23).
They will next play Hubli Tigers, Mysore Warriors, Hubli Tigers again, on June 25, June 27 and June 29 respectively.
How Did Manish Pandey Perform For KKR In IPL 2026?
Pandey, like always, was not an automatic choice for KKR in IPL 2026. He broke into KKR playing XI in the latter half of the competition, and had played six matches since then.
Pandey’s best knock came against Mumbai Indians in IPL 2026. There, in Match 65 of the edition, he made 45 off 33 balls after coming to bat at No. 3. Thanks to him, KKR chased down a below-par 148-run target with seven balls and four wickets to spare.
Apart from that, Pandey took an incredible catch in IPL 2026. It happened during RCB vs KKR match. There, he took an acrobatic catch to dismiss Tim David, which Virat Kohli acknowledged immediately after.
Later, on it was named the Catch of the Season in IPL 2026.
Notably, Manish Pandey is one of the very few in IPL who has been in the mix since the inaugural edition, that happened in 2008.
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