Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 is a domestic Twenty20 cricket tournament in India organised by the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA). Established in 2022, it replaced the Karnataka Premier League (KPL).
The tournament is contested by six teams representing different regions of the state of Karnataka and is played annually in a round-robin and knockout format.
History Origins and development The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) established an early precedent for the Twenty20 format in India as early as 2005 through the organization of the Bradman Cup tournament. This foundational framework led to the creation of the Karnataka Premier League (KPL), a regional Twenty20 cricket tournament organized by the KSCA that completed eight seasons between 2009 and 2019.
Following a multi-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the KSCA permanently dissolved the KPL structure and launched the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 on July 16, 2022, as its official spiritual successor. During the tournament's inaugural launch gala, then- KSCA President Roger Binny stated that the league was fundamentally engineered to sustain a state-level developmental pipeline, ensuring local club cricketers had a high-exposure platform to transition directly into national and Indian Premier League (IPL) teams.
Structure and nomenclature The tournament was named in honour of Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar, a prominent former president of the KSCA and the titular Maharaja of Mysore. Unlike the later iterations of the KPL which relied heavily on private franchise operations, the 2022 Maharaja Trophy was initially launched under a centralized, KSCA - administered model where the association managed all team logistics, coaching appointments, and squad selections.
The inaugural August 2022 edition featured six teams mapped to regional catchment sectors. While match results remained significant for individual regional fanbases, the KSCA reviewed the season as a structural success based on its core metric of unearthing and promoting unheralded domestic cricket talent from outside the metropolitan areas.
Trophy design The tournament's championship trophy features a distinct regional design incorporating traditional royal motifs. The structure consists of a centrally engraved metal pillar flanked by eleven solid wings, symbolizing the eleven players of a cricket lineup. The face of the trophy features a carved portrait engraving honoring the late Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar, the former scion of the Mysore Royal Family and long-time President of the KSCA.
Rules and format
The Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 follows the standard Twenty20 playing conditions prescribed by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), with additional tournament-specific regulations implemented by the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA).
Tournament format The tournament is contested by six franchises representing different regions of Karnataka. During the league stage, each team plays every other team twice in a double round-robin format, resulting in 30 league matches.
The top four teams in the points table at the end of the league stage qualify for the playoffs. Since 2023, the tournament has followed the Indian Premier League playoff system:
Qualifier 1 – 1st place vs 2nd place; winner advances directly to the final. Eliminator – 3rd place vs 4th place; loser is eliminated. Qualifier 2 – loser of Qualifier 1 vs winner of the Eliminator. Final – winner of Qualifier 1 vs winner of Qualifier 2.
Squad regulations Franchises are permitted to maintain squads consisting of a minimum of 16 players and a maximum of 20 players. Player eligibility is restricted to cricketers registered with clubs, institutions or affiliated units under the Karnataka State Cricket Association.
To promote regional representation, each franchise is structurally required to include players from its designated geographic catchment area within its squad structure.
Rule changes The tournament's playing conditions have been periodically amended by the KSCA to introduce new tactical parameters and technological aids:
Season Rule change 2023 Introduction of the Impact Player rule, aligning the tournament with domestic BCCI competitions and the Indian Premier League. 2025 Introduction of the Decision Review System (DRS) to assist on-field umpiring decisions. 2026 Introduction of the updated Impact Player rule, mandating that teams must submit their finalized Playing XIs prior to the coin toss. Runs scored during a delivery where an on-field "out" decision is subsequently overturned by DRS are officially credited to the batting side. Runs attempted by the batting side when a batsman is bowled or caught on a free-hit delivery are voided and recorded as a dot ball.
Teams Six franchises are competing in the league. The franchises are named after the cities they represent in the state.
Teams Captain Owner(s) Kalyani Bengaluru Blasters Shubhang Hegde Kalyani Motors Gulbarga Mystics Manish Pandey Gulbarga Megaspeed Broadband Hubli Tigers Vijaykumar Vyshak Jindal Steel Mysore Warriors Devdutt Padikkal NR Group Shivamogga Yodhas Smaran Ravichandran Coastal Kings Mangaluru Karun Nair
Player acquisition
The methods used to allocate players to teams have evolved since the tournament's inception in 2022.
2022
The inaugural player draft, known as the Maha Draft, was held on 30 July 2022 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. A total of 740 players were available for selection across four categories: Category A (India and IPL players), Category B (senior state players), Category C (under-25, under-23 and under-19 players) and Category D (emerging talent),.
Teams selected 18 players through the centralized draft process before completing their squads with two additional players from their designated regional catchment areas, resulting in a squad size of 20 players. The draft was conducted by coaching and management groups appointed by the KSCA. Notable players selected during the draft included Karun Nair, Manish Pandey, Mayank Agarwal, Krishnappa Gowtham and Abhimanyu Mithun.
2023
Ahead of the 2023 season, the tournament adopted a franchise-based model and introduced a player auction in place of the draft system used during the inaugural edition. More than 700 cricketers from across Karnataka were made available for selection and were grouped into four categories based on their playing credentials as defined in previous season. The inaugural 2023 auction was also held at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
The auction featured six franchises: Bengaluru Blasters, Gulbarga Mystics, Hubli Tigers, Mysore Warriors, Mangaluru Dragons and Shivamogga Lions. Players were acquired through competitive bidding, with Abhinav Manohar becoming the most expensive player after being purchased by Shivamogga Lions for ₹15 lakh. Mayank Agarwal was acquired by Kalyani Bengaluru Blasters for ₹14 lakh, while Devdutt Padikkal joined Gulbarga Mystics for ₹13.2 lakh.
According to tournament commissioner, B. K. Sampath Kumar, the 2023 season marked the return of the franchise model, with team owners participating directly in the player auction.
2024
Ahead of the 2024 season, the tournament introduced a player retention system for the first time. Each franchise was permitted to retain up to four players from its 2023 squad before the auction. The remaining squad positions were filled through a player auction conducted at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium onBengaluru 25 July 2024.
More than 1,400 players registered for the season, with 240 players shortlisted for the auction. Players were divided into four categories based on their playing experience and credentials. Teams were required to maintain squads of between 16 and 20 players, including at least two players from their designated catchment areas.
L. R. Chethan became the most expensive player in the auction after being acquired by Bengaluru Blasters for ₹8.6 lakh. Other notable purchases included Shreyas Gopal (₹7.6 Lakh) by Mangaluru Dragons and Krishnappa Gowtham(₹7.4 Lakh) by Mysore Warriors. According to tournament commissioner B. K. Sampath Kumar, the introduction of player retentions was intended to provide continuity while allowing franchises to strengthen their squads through the auction.
2025
Prior to the 2025 season, franchises were again permitted to retain up to four players from their previous squads before participating in the player auction. Teams were required to maintain squads consisting of 16 to 18 players.
Several established players, including Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Prasidh Krishna and Vyshak Vijaykumar were retained by their respective franchises ahead of the auction.
The player auction was held on 15 July 2025. Devdutt Padikkal became the most expensive player of the auction after being acquired by Hubli Tigers for ₹13.2 lakh. Other notable acquisitions included Abhinav Manohar by Hubli Tigers and Vidwath Kaverappa by Shivamogga Lions.
2026
Ahead of the 2026 season, the tournament underwent a major restructuring as two franchises changed ownership and identity. Mangaluru Dragons was rebranded as Coastal Kings Mangaluru, while Shivamogga Lions became Shivamogga Yodhas. The changes were accompanied by a squad reset, with most players returning to the auction pool under a revamped player acquisition system.
The player auction was held on 5 June 2026, with each franchise operating under a salary purse of ₹60 lakh. The auction witnessed record spending, as Karun Nair was acquired by Coastal Kings Mangaluru for ₹18 lakh, becoming the most expensive player in the tournament's history. Other notable acquisitions included Smaran Ravichandran by Shivamogga Yodhas for ₹15.75 lakh, Abhinav Manohar by Hubli Tigers for ₹13.5 lakh and Manish Pandey by Gulbarga Mystics for ₹12.75 lakh.
Several high-profile players were affected by availability concerns. India international K. L. Rahul went unsold due to national team commitments, while Devdutt Padikkal and Prasidh Krishna were acquired by Mysore Warriors for ₹2.6 lakh each owing to their limited availability during the tournament.
Most expensive auction purchases Season Player Team Price Ref. 2023 Abhinav Manohar Shivamogga Lions ₹15.00 lakh 2024 L. R. Chethan Bengaluru Blasters ₹8.60 lakh 2025 Devdutt Padikkal Hubli Tigers ₹13.20 lakh 2026 Karun Nair Coastal Kings Mangaluru ₹18.00 lakh
The inaugural 2022 season did not feature an auction. Players were allocated through a draft system with fixed salary categories.
Tournament results SeasonVenueWinnersResultRunners-upPlayer of the season2022M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, BengaluruGulbarga Mystics220/3 (20 overs)Gulbarga Mystics won by 11 runsScorecardBengaluru Blasters209/9 (20 overs)Rohan Patil2023Hubli Tigers203/8 (20 overs)Hubli Tigers won by 8 runsScorecard Mysuru Warriors195/8 (20 overs)Mohammed Taha2024Mysore Warriors207/4 (20 overs)Mysore Warriors won by 45 runsScorecardBengaluru Blasters162/8 (20 overs) Karun Nair2025Srikantadatta Narasimha Raja Wadeyar Ground, MysoreMangaluru Dragons85/2 (10.2 overs)Mangaluru Dragons won by 14 runs (VJD method)ScorecardHubli Tigers154/8 (20 overs) Sharath B. R.2026M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, BengaluruShivamogga Yoddhas 186/6 (20 overs)Shivamogga Yoddhas won by 4 wicketsScorecardKalyani Bengaluru Blasters 185/8 (20 overs)Shubhang Hegde
Performance by teams The following table summarises the overall performances of teams in the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20. Teams are ranked by the number of championships won, followed by runners-up finishes and playoff appearances.
Team Winners Runners-up Playoffs Seasons Hubli Tigers 1 (2023) 1 (2025) 4 5 Mysore Warriors 1 (2024) 1 (2023) 4 5 Gulbarga Mystics 1 (2022) — 4 5 Coastal Kings Mangaluru 1 (2025) — 2 5 Shivamogga Yodhas 1 (2026) — 2 5 Kalyani Bengaluru Blasters — 3 (2022, 2024, 2026) 4 5
Champions Runners-up