Chota Nagpur Royals crowned champions of inaugural Jharkhand T20 League
Ranchi, June 24
Chota Nagpur Royals clinched the inaugural Jharkhand T20 Cricket League by defeating the Jamshedpur Steelers in front of a roaring crowd packed inside the JSCA International Stadium Complex.
While the Steelers fought with grit, it was the Chota Nagpur Royals who turned the game on its head in spectacular style, pulling off a 7-wicket victory to be crowned the first-ever champions of the league, according to a release.
Batting first, the Jamshedpur Steelers posted a competitive 180/8 in their allotted 20 overs. The innings kicked off with opener Kumar Karan (28) and skipper Kumar Deobrat (39) putting on a 32-run opening stand before Karan was dismissed.
A sudden flurry of wickets soon dented the Steelers' middle-order morale, slumping them to a precarious 90/5 in 11.5 overs.
However, the game changed completely when Harsh Rana walked out to the crease. Playing a breathtaking counter-attacking knock, Rana smashed a sensational 64 off just 26 deliveries, single-handedly shifting the momentum and powering his side to a fighting total.
For the Chota Nagpur Royals, it was a collective bowling effort as Durgesh Kumar (1/15), Suprieyo Chakraborty (1/19), Chandan Kumar Mukhi (1/23), Vikash Singh (1/37), and Rahul Rajak (1/62) picked up one wicket apiece.
Chasing a challenging target of 181, the Chota Nagpur Royals suffered a massive early blow when their star skipper, Virat Singh was dismissed for just 1 run. Refusing to panic, MD Nazim Siddiqui stepped up to inject early momentum with a firing 38 off 24 balls, before the grand stage was completely taken over by Kumar Kushagra and Himanshu Dwivedi.
The dynamic duo unleashed an absolute masterclass, stitching together a 110-run partnership for the third wicket that utterly snatched the game away from the opposition. While Dwivedi played a brilliant anchor role to bring up a fine half-century (51 off 33 balls), Kushagra remained a ruthless force until the very end, storming his way to an unbeaten 78* off just 39 deliveries.
The Royals effortlessly crossed the finish line in just 17.2 overs, finishing at 184/3 to seal a magnificent championship victory.
For the Jamshedpur Steelers, Aman Kumar Singh (2/24) and Anurag Singh Sengar (1/3) fought hard with the ball, but their efforts were eventually eclipsed by the Royals' batting supremacy.
Player of the Final - Kumar Kushagra
Emerging Player of the Season - Pratyush Kumar (12 Wickets)
Player of the Tournament - Virat Singh
Purple Cap - Pratik Ranjan (17 Wickets)
Orange Cap - Virat Singh (395 Runs)
Most 4s - Virat Singh
Most 6s - Utkarsh Singh
Catch of the Tournament - Robin Minz.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Harsh Rana's 64 off 26 balls was simply breathtaking! Even though his team lost, that knock was the highlight of the match for me. Pure entertainment! Also, kudos to the organizers for putting together such a competitive league in Jharkhand. More power to regional cricket! 👏
Great to see local talent like Virat Singh (Orange Cap & Player of Tournament) and Pratik Ranjan (Purple Cap) performing consistently. But honestly, the coverage could have been better - many cricket fans in rest of India wouldn't even know this league existed. BCCI should promote such regional tournaments more.
Coming from Australia, it's fascinating to see how passionate Indian fans are about cricket at every level. A state league final gets the same energy as an IPL match! The 110-run partnership between Kushagra and Dwivedi was reminiscent of classic ODI chases. Cricket truly is religion there.
Mehendi lagwa ke match dekha 😂🪔 What a final it was! My whole family was cheering for the Steelers but that Harsh Rana innings gave us hope. In the end, Chota Nagpur Royals deserved it - they chased like champions. And Robin Minz's catch of the tournament? Wah! Truly world-class fielding.
Disappointed that Jamshedpur Steelers couldn't hold their nerve after Rana's heroics. Bowling looked flat in the death overs. But full marks to the Royals for not panicking after losing Virat early. MD Nazim Siddiqui's quick
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