Akash Raj's All-Round Brilliance Powers New Town Buddies to a 5-Wicket Win over Calcutta Challengers
Captain Akash Raj smashes 88 off 35 with ten sixes and takes 2/33, as New Town Buddies chase down 163 with 14 balls to spare
New Town Buddies chased down a target of 163 with 14 balls to spare, beating Calcutta Challengers by 5 wickets. Captain Akash Raj set the chase alight with 88 off 35 balls, including ten sixes, and then took 2/33 with the ball. Calcutta Challengers had posted 162/7 in 13 overs, with Paul Zomi (45 off 19) and Ashutosh Maurya (31 off 16) setting the tone at the top.
Man of the Match: Akash Raj
Akash Raj made his mark in both innings. He faced 35 balls and hit three fours and ten sixes for a strike rate of 251.43, scoring more than half of his side's 165 runs. He was out bowled by Paul Zomi at 152/4, with the chase almost complete.
With the ball, he bowled three overs for 2/33 (economy 11.00), removing Paul Zomi, caught by Md Firoz Khan, and Zahid khan, caught and bowled. It was a complete all-round performance from the captain.
Key Contributions from Teammates
Tublu was the standout bowler of the match, taking 3/30 from three overs (economy 10.00). He also hit 26 off 9 balls with four sixes at the top of the order, and his three wickets (Ashutosh Maurya, Sachin Saroj and Vijay pratap) were the best figures of the match. Dhruba Shyam added 21 off 9 and ArMaN aLi finished unbeaten on 17 off 7, with a wicket and a run out to his name.
Calcutta Challengers' Notable Performances
Paul Zomi was Challengers' most aggressive batter, with 45 off 19 balls (four sixes, SR 236.84), and he added 2/35 with the ball and two catches in the field. Ashutosh Maurya made 31 off 16 and took 2/39, though he conceded six wides in his two overs. hamzad hit 25 off 13, and Akash Ranjan stayed unbeaten on 33 off 21.
Looking Ahead
A competitive 162/7 was not enough once Akash Raj got going. New Town Buddies can take real encouragement from a chase built on one big innings and backed by Tublu's all-round contribution, while Calcutta Challengers will need their bowlers to limit the big-hitting top order next time.
Calcutta Challengers — Batting (162/7 in 13.0 Ov)
| Batsman | Status | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| hamzad (wk) | c (sub) †Bishnu Mishra b ArMaN aLi | 25 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 192.31 |
| Ashutosh Maurya (c) | c Hemanshu Singh b Tublu | 31 | 16 | 3 | 2 | 193.75 |
| Akash Ranjan (not out) | not out | 33 | 21 | 0 | 4 | 157.14 |
| Paul Zomi | c Md Firoz Khan b Akash Raj | 45 | 19 | 3 | 4 | 236.84 |
| Zahid khan | c&b Akash Raj | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Sachin Saroj | c ArMaN aLi b Tublu | 7 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 140.00 |
| Vijay pratap | c †Moly b Tublu | 12 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 300.00 |
| Suraj Prahladka | run out ArMaN aLi | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Extras (wd 6, nb 2) | 8 | |||||
| Total: 13.0 Ov, 7 Wkts | 162 (CRR 12.46) | |||||
Fall of Wickets — Calcutta Challengers
61-1 (Ashutosh Maurya, 4.1 ov), 70-2 (hamzad, 5.1 ov), 133-3 (Paul Zomi, 9.4 ov), 133-4 (Zahid khan, 9.5 ov), 142-5 (Sachin Saroj, 11 ov), 160-6 (Vijay pratap, 12.4 ov), 162-7 (Suraj Prahladka, 13 ov)
Bowling — New Town Buddies
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | WD | NB | Eco |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mukesh Verma | 1 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 14.00 |
| Akash Raj (c) | 3 | 0 | 33 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 11.00 |
| Moly | 3 | 0 | 43 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 14.33 |
| Tublu | 3 | 0 | 30 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 10.00 |
| ArMaN aLi | 2 | 0 | 32 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 16.00 |
| Md Firoz Khan | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10.00 |
New Town Buddies — Batting (165/5 in 10.4 Ov)
| Batsman | Status | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akash Raj (c) | b Paul Zomi | 88 | 35 | 3 | 10 | 251.43 |
| Tublu | c Paul Zomi b Ashutosh Maurya | 26 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 288.89 |
| Sudeep Karmakar | c †hamzad b Ashutosh Maurya | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Dhruba Shyam | c Paul Zomi b Zahid khan | 21 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 233.33 |
| ArMaN aLi (not out) | not out | 17 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 242.86 |
| Hemanshu Singh | b Paul Zomi | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Moly (not out) | not out | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Extras (wd 10, nb 2) | 12 | |||||
| Total: 10.4 Ov, 5 Wkts | 165 (CRR 15.47) | |||||
To bat: Chandan Kumar Singh, Mukesh Verma, Md Firoz Khan
Fall of Wickets — New Town Buddies
43-1 (Tublu, 2.5 ov), 44-2 (Sudeep Karmakar, 3 ov), 78-3 (Dhruba Shyam, 5.4 ov), 152-4 (Akash Raj, 9.2 ov), 152-5 (Hemanshu Singh, 10 ov)
Bowling — Calcutta Challengers
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | WD | NB | Eco |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suraj Prahladka | 1 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20.00 |
| hamzad | 0.4 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 19.50 |
| Sachin Saroj | 1 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13.00 |
| Ashutosh Maurya (c) | 2 | 0 | 39 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 19.50 |
| Zahid khan | 3 | 0 | 45 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 15.00 |
| Paul Zomi | 3 | 0 | 35 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 11.67 |
Result
New Town Buddies won by 5 wickets — Calcutta Challengers 162/7 (13.0 Ov), New Town Buddies 165/5 (10.4 Ov)
- Man of the Match: Akash Raj — 88 (35b, 3×4, 10×6, SR 251.43) and 2/33 (3 Ov) 🏆
- Best Bowler: Tublu — 3/30 (3 Ov, Eco 10.00) and 26 (9b, 4×6)
- Top Scorer (Calcutta Challengers): Paul Zomi — 45 (19b, SR 236.84) and 2/35 (3 Ov)
- Not Out (Calcutta Challengers): Akash Ranjan — 33* (21b)
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