Bengal T20 League: Royal Tigers script first win; Smashers Malda cruise past Howrah Warriors (Ld)
Kolkata, June 15
Riding on Sourav Halder's hat-trick, Kolkata Royal Tigers bagged their first victory in Season 3 of the Bengal T20 League after a hard-fought one-run win over Servotech Siliguri Strikers at Eden Gardens on Monday.
Asked to bat first, Royal Tigers posted 147/9 in 20 overs. Abishek Porel (76 off 53) and Ritwik Roy Chowdhury (33 off 27) were the pick of the batters. For Siliguri Strikers, Ishan Porel (3-24), Geet Puri (2-28), and Kaushik Maity (2-17) were the star bowlers.
Chasing the target, Karan (46 off 35) and Sudip Chatterjee (35 off 31) gave Siliguri Strikers a fine start. Vishal Bhati (18 off 15) also chipped in with a handy knock.
Against the run of play, Sourav brought Royal Tigers back into the game in the 13th over, dismissing Vishal off the fourth ball, followed by Snehasish Saha (0) and Badal Singh Balyan (0) off the fifth and sixth balls respectively to become the second bowler to bag a hat-trick in the league's history after Md Shami's feat earlier in the tournament this season.
Despite the quick wickets, Pramod Chandila (35 off 23) gave Siliguri Strikers some hope, but Sayan bagged two crucial wickets in the final over to help the team script its first win. Siliguri Strikers fell short, scoring 146/7 in 20 overs.
Sourav was the star bowler for Royal Tigers, bagging 4 for 22, while Sayan Ghosh (2-25) and Ashutosh Kumar (1-25) also impressed.
Convincing win for Malda
In the second match of the day, Sobisco Smashers Malda registered a convincing eight-wicket victory over Adamas Howrah Warriors.
Batting first, Adamas Howrah Warriors posted 132 in 20 overs, with Shashank Singh top-scoring with a fighting 60. For Malda, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal starred with the ball, claiming four wickets, while Mukesh Kumar chipped in with three.
In reply, Malda chased down the target comfortably, reaching 136/2 in just 13.4 overs. Abhimanyu Easwaran anchored the innings with a composed 58 off 37 deliveries, while Akhil provided the early impetus with a brisk 41 off 21 balls as Malda cruised to victory with plenty of overs to spare.
Brief scores:
Adamas Howrah Warriors vs Sobisco Smashers Malda
Adamas Howrah Warriors 132 all out (20 overs) lost to Sobisco Smashers Malda: 136/2 (13.4 overs) by 8 wickets.
Kolkata Royal Tigers vs Servotech Siliguri Strikers
Kolkata Royal Tigers 147/9 (20 overs) beat Servotech Siliguri Strikers 146/7 (20 overs) by 1 run
— IANS
Reader Comments
Abishek Porel's knock of 76 was solid, but the team still struggled to post a big total. Bowling saved the day for Royal Tigers. Also, Smashers Malda’s chase was so clinical — Easwaran and Akhil made it look easy! Enjoying this season a lot.
Great to see competitive cricket at the domestic level. The hat-trick and the last-over finish remind me of the IPL excitement. Hopefully, some of these players get noticed for bigger leagues. Good day for Bengal cricket!
Hat-trick hero Sourav Halder! Absolute game-changer. But honestly, Royal Tigers need to sort out their batting — 147 on Eden Gardens is a bit low. Lucky that bowlers bailed them out. Malda looked strong though, Easwaran class apart.
Always love watching matches at Eden — that atmosphere must be electric! Nice to see both matches had close contests or dominating performances. Bengal T20 League is really giving young cricketers a platform. 👏
Sad for Siliguri Strikers though — losing by just 1 run after Karan and Sudip gave such a good start. That hat-trick turned the match on its head. But I have to say, Pramod Chandila played well under pressure. Also, Smashers Malda chased like a well-oiled machine!
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