Maharaja T20 Trophy (India) 2023/24

The Maharaja T20 Trophy is the premier Twenty20 cricket competition for the state of Karnataka. Run by the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), it sits beneath the national BCCI domestic structure, which includes the Ranji Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy. The tournament acts as a development pipeline for players aiming for the Indian Premier League (IPL) and national selection.

The league features six fixed franchise teams. The current squad includes the Mysuru Warriors, Mangalore Dragons, Shivamogga Lions, Hubli Tigers, Gulbarga Mystics, and Bengaluru Blasters. The season format consists of a double round-robin league stage where each team plays every other side twice. This is followed by knockout semi-finals and a final. There is no promotion or relegation, as the franchises are fixed entities managed through auctions and player retention policies.

The competition was established in 2022 to replace the Karnataka Premier League (KPL), which was dissolved in 2019 following a match-fixing scandal. The tournament is distinct from the IPL as it is a state-administered domestic league restricted to KSCA-registered players. It differs from the defunct KPL by having stricter governance, centralized KSCA oversight, and specific eligibility norms such as age caps and geographic catchment requirements for local talent promotion.

Key reforms include the introduction of a player retention system in 2024 and the Decision Review System (DRS) in 2025. The 2025 edition was notably held in Mysuru after venue issues in Bengaluru. The current holder of the trophy is the Shivamogga Yodhas, who won the 5th edition in 2026 by defeating the Bengaluru Blasters. Previous winners include the Mangaluru Dragons (2025), Mysuru Warriors (2024), Hubli Tigers (2023), and Gulbarga Mystics (2022). Each team has won the trophy exactly once in the Maharaja Trophy era.