M. Chinnaswamy Stadium pulsed Friday as Karnataka demolished Maharashtra by 8 wickets in a Vijay Hazare thriller, Mayank Agarwal's silky 120 anchoring a 250 chase in 45 overs. The opener, back from injury, laced drives that silenced the 15,000 rival fans bused from Pune, sealing with a six over long-on. Captain Manish Pandey: "Mayank's class won it—derby's ours." Maharashtra's Kedar Jadhav, 80 not out, rued: "Batted well, but their chase was chase-less."
Pre-match banter boiled—banners taunted "RCB rejects vs MI minions"—but post-game handshakes cooled. Street food stalls outside flipped dosas and vadas, sales doubling amid chants. In Pune, dejected devotees drowned sorrows in vada pav, while Bengaluru bars toasted with filter coffee shots.
Agarwal's knock—15 fours, 4 sixes—outshone Devdutt Padikkal's 60, with Vidwath Kaverappa's 4-35 crumbling Maharashtra for 249. Cutters and bouncers drew "oohs," umps unflappable. Karnataka's 4-0 streak eyes quarters; Maharashtra, 2-2, regroups. As floodlights dimmed, a fan's quip: "Border won on the boundary." Derbies deliver drama.
