CCL 2026: Karnataka Bulldozers outplay defending champions Punjab De Sher

CCL 2026: Defending champions Punjab De Sher were left stranded well short of the finishing line, chasing 171 for victory against Karnataka Bulldozers in the first match of Season 12.

The Karnataka Bulldozers celebrate their win against the defending champions, Punjab De Sher

In the first match of Season 12 of the Celebrity Cricket League on January 16, reigning champs Punjab De Sher took on the Karnataka Bulldozers. Leading the champs, Harrdy Sandhu won the toss and elected to bowl first, given that the tournament has reverted to the standard T20 format. Sent in to bat, the Bulldozers had a top order collapse, but still managed to put on a total of 170, on the back of a fantabulous knock by Karan Arya, Punjab De Sher's chase went pretty much the same way as the Bulldozers' innings till the 10th over, but instead of picking up the pace, they kept losing wickets at regular intervals and ended their innings well short, at 139 only.

Did the Karnataka Bulldozers put up a score worth defending?

The Bulldozers opened with Pradeep Bogadi and Darling Krishna, both of who can be dangerous in the middle, but they began with a cautious approach, as they gauged the pitch and what’s on offer. After making only 7 runs in the first two overs, Krishna decided to pick up the pace and got the first boundary of the tournament. The actor, though, perished shortly after, departing for only 14. Rajeev Hanu replaced Krishna and tried going big, only to find Harrdy’s safe hands and return to the dug out with a golden duck.

Skipper Kiccha Sudeep came in and became Dakssh’s third consecutive scalp – the tournament’s first hattrick – when the actor was dismissed LBW. Then Ninja joined in the action and got rid of opener Pradeep and just like that, from 31 for no loss in 4 overs, they were at 32-4 at the start of the 6th over. J Karthik and Pratap tried to stabilize the innings, with the former adding 16 to the total, but then Dakssh got rid of him too. At the half-way mark they were at 61-5.

It was then up to Karan and Pratap to steady the ship and prevent a total crumble. Karan then took Anuj for 22 runs in the 14th over to bring up the 100 for the Bulldozers. A ball later, the champs broke the partnership and sent Pratap home with a piece of good fielding that resulted in a run out. The score, 101 for the loss of 6.

Karan remained unperturbed, and continued his onslaught, which got him a half century, the first of the tournament. Along the way, he lost Pratap, then Suneel Rao, and then perished to give Dakssh his 5thwicket, but not before putting on 83 in only 33 balls and literally digging his team out of trouble. Eventually, the team folded with a score of 170 in the last over with 4 balls to spare.

Punjab De Sher fumbles in its response to the Bulldozers

Chasing a total of 171, the defending champions were in trouble with the very first ball, losing opener Ninja for a duck. Rahul Jaittly and Babbal Rai then tried steadying the innings, but then the latter departed adding only 1 to the total, followed by skipper Harrdy, who was out on a duck. At the end of 4 overs, Punjab was at 20 for the loss of 3 wickets and at this point, they needed to find their ‘Karan’. Rahul tried to be that for his team, but the Bulldozers kept exerting pressure on Punjab De Sher, taking wickets at regular intervals.

At the start of the 8th over, they were already 5 wickets down, with only 39 runs to their credit. At the half-way mark Punjab De Sher was at 63-5, which, technically, was marginally better than the score the Bulldozers had at that stage. 50 of those runs came from Rahul’s bat, but despite that personal milestone, he knew that the team still had a long way to go. They needed a few big overs and ensure that Rahul’s partnership with Savant Premi stays intact.

The 100 came up in the 13th over, which, interestingly, was bowled by Karan, who gave away 14 runs, but then got the biggie – he got rid of Rahul, who’d made 68 of 44 balls. Savant was not willing to give up yet, though, and began clawing away at that total, with Vikramjeet for company. But that partnership did not last long, with Vikramjeet perishing to Karan’s bowl, and Savant following in the very next over. The score 120-8 at 15.2 overs.

The wickets kept falling and even though Mayur and Anuj tried to keep the margin to a minimum, it all got a little too much for them and they were bundled out with the team score at 139 runs. The Karnataka Bulldozers convincingly notched up a first victory and have 2 more group stage matches to see if they will make it to the top 4 teams.

Up next, in the second match of the day, 4-time champions Telugu Warriors will play the Bjhojpuri Dabanggs. All matches are streaming live on JioHotstar, which is also available via OTTplay Premium,

CCL FAQs

Q. When is Season 12 of CCL starting?

A. Season 12 of the Celebrity Cricket League begins on January 16, 2026. Eight teams are in the fray, with the winner getting a prize of Rs 50L.

Q. Which team is the defending champions of CCL?

A. Punjab De Sher is the reigning champions of CCL.

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