Ashutosh Maurya's 57 Off 21 Wins Man of the Match as Calcutta Challengers Smash 216/3 to Beat Thunder Strikers by 46 Runs

Calcutta Challengers piled up 216/3 in 13 overs and then held off Thunder Strikers, who finished on 170/8 in their 13 overs, to win by 46 runs. Captain Ashutosh Maurya was named Man of the Match for a blistering 57 off 21 balls, P D retired hurt on a 51 off 27, Golok Bera struck an unbeaten 51 off 15, and Akash Ranjan took 3/21 with the ball.

Ashutosh Maurya and P D Fire a 98-Run Opening Stand

Ashutosh Maurya and P D gave Calcutta Challengers a flying start, putting on 98 for the first wicket in 5.5 overs. Ashutosh made 57 off 21 balls — four fours and five sixes at a strike rate of 271.43 — before he was caught by Rajni Kant off Abdul Rahman. His innings earned him the Man of the Match award.

P D made 51 off 27 (four fours, four sixes, strike rate 188.89) and retired hurt with the score on 162/3 in the 11th over.

Golok Bera and Paul Zomi Finish With Fireworks

After Indranil Saha (10 off 8) and Tanmay Karmakar (2 off 3) both fell to Alok Kumar, leaving Calcutta Challengers at 125/3 in the 9th over, Golok Bera took charge. He finished 51 not out off just 15 balls — seven fours and three sixes at a strike rate of 340.00. Paul Zomi added an unbeaten 26 off 6 balls, four sixes at a strike rate of 433.33, as the score moved from 162/3 to 216/3 in the final 2.2 overs. In all the innings contained 17 sixes, and Thunder Strikers also conceded 19 extras, including 17 wides.

Alok Kumar was the pick of the Thunder Strikers bowlers with 2/30, while Saikat Pobi (0/58) and Yogi Thakur (0/64) went for plenty in their three overs each.

Akash Ranjan Leads the Defence

The target of 217 was always going to be steep, and Akash Ranjan made it steeper. He had Praveen caught by Golam Masud with Thunder Strikers on just 2/1, and returned to remove Debendra kumar sahoo and Saikat Pobi as well, finishing with 3/21 in 3 overs, including 11 dot balls and an economy of 7.00. Masud Rana struck twice, with Abdul Rahman caught by Debangshu and Alok Kumar caught by P D, and Thunder Strikers were soon 21/3.

Yogi Thakur, Sovandeep Biswas and Rajni Kant Keep Thunder Strikers Fighting

Yogi Thakur hit 34 off 18 with five sixes before Golam Masud took a caught-and-bowled at 61/4. Qamar Khan Cricket (16 off 13) fell to a catch by Golok Bera off Indranil Saha at 90/5, and Thunder Strikers slid to 97/7 in the 10th over.

Then came a late surge. Sovandeep Biswas remained unbeaten on 49 off 18 with six sixes and two fours, and Rajni Kant hit 39 off 16 (five fours, two sixes) before being caught and bowled by Raju Akter with the last ball of the innings. Thunder Strikers added 73 runs in the last 3.3 overs but still finished 46 short.

Looking Ahead

Ashutosh Maurya's 57 off 21 and a 98-run opening stand with P D laid the platform, Golok Bera and Paul Zomi's explosive finish took Calcutta Challengers to 216, and Akash Ranjan's 3/21 closed out the win. For Thunder Strikers, Sovandeep Biswas's unbeaten 49 and Rajni Kant's 39 were bright spots in a defeat.

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Calcutta Challengers — Batting (216/3 in 13.0 Ov)

Batsman	Status	R	B	4s	6s	SR
Ashutosh Maurya (c)	c Rajni Kant b Abdul Rahman	57	21	4	5	271.43
P D	retired hurt	51	27	4	4	188.89
Indranil Saha	c Praveen b Alok Kumar	10	8	0	1	125.00
Tanmay Karmakar	c Yogi Thakur b Alok Kumar	2	3	0	0	66.67
Golok Bera (not out)	not out	51	15	7	3	340.00
Paul Zomi (not out)	not out	26	6	0	4	433.33
Extras (wd 17, nb 2)			19
Total: 13.0 Ov, 3 Wkts			216 (CRR 16.62)

To bat: Debangshu, Supriyo Patra, Masud Rana, Akash Ranjan, Golam Masud, Raju Akter

Fall of Wickets — Calcutta Challengers

98-1 (Ashutosh Maurya, 5.5 ov), 122-2 (Indranil Saha, 8.2 ov), 125-3 (Tanmay Karmakar, 8.5 ov), 162-3 (P D, 10.4 ov, retired hurt)

Bowling — Thunder Strikers

Bowler	O	M	R	W	WD	NB	Eco
Saikat Pobi	3	0	58	0	6	1	19.33
Satish	1	0	23	0	2	1	23.00
Alok Kumar	3	0	30	2	5	0	10.00
Yogi Thakur	3	0	64	0	2	0	21.33
Abdul Rahman (c)	3	0	41	1	2	0	13.67

Thunder Strikers — Batting (170/8 in 13.0 Ov)

Batsman	Status	R	B	4s	6s	SR
Yogi Thakur	c&b Golam Masud	34	18	0	5	188.89
Praveen	c Golam Masud b Akash Ranjan	0	1	0	0	0.00
Abdul Rahman (c)	c Debangshu b Masud Rana	4	2	1	0	200.00
Alok Kumar	c P D b Masud Rana	7	6	0	1	116.67
Qamar Khan Cricket	c Golok Bera b Indranil Saha	16	13	1	1	123.08
Sovandeep Biswas (not out)	not out	49	18	2	6	272.22
Debendra kumar sahoo	c Golok Bera b Akash Ranjan	2	6	0	0	33.33
Saikat Pobi	c Golam Masud b Akash Ranjan	0	1	0	0	0.00
Rajni Kant	c&b Raju Akter	39	16	5	2	243.75
Extras (wd 16, nb 3)			19
Total: 13.0 Ov, 8 Wkts			170 (CRR 13.08)

To bat: Aman Raj, Ehsan Ali, Raju Kumar, Farid, Dibyagya Behera, Arshad, Satish

Fall of Wickets — Thunder Strikers

2-1 (Praveen, 0.5 ov), 7-2 (Abdul Rahman, 1.3 ov), 21-3 (Alok Kumar, 3.1 ov), 61-4 (Yogi Thakur, 5.3 ov), 90-5 (Qamar Khan Cricket, 8.1 ov), 97-6 (Debendra kumar sahoo, 9.2 ov), 97-7 (Saikat Pobi, 9.3 ov), 170-8 (Rajni Kant, 13 ov)

Bowling — Calcutta Challengers

Bowler	O	M	R	W	WD	NB	Eco
Akash Ranjan	3	0	21	3	3	0	7.00
Masud Rana	2	0	27	2	0	1	13.50
Debangshu	2	0	22	0	1	0	11.00
Golam Masud	2	0	27	1	2	0	13.50
Indranil Saha	2	0	29	1	5	0	14.50
Raju Akter	2	0	44	1	5	2	22.00

Result

Calcutta Challengers won by 46 runs — Calcutta Challengers 216/3 (13.0 Ov), Thunder Strikers 170/8 (13.0 Ov)

• Man of the Match: Ashutosh Maurya — 57 (21b, 4×4, 5×6, SR 271.43)
• Unbeaten Fifty: Golok Bera — 51* (15b, 7×4, 3×6, SR 340.00)
• Opening Fifty: P D — 51 retired hurt (27b, 4×4, 4×6, SR 188.89)
• Best Bowler: Akash Ranjan — 3/21 (3 Ov, 11 dots, Eco 7.00)
• Thunder Strikers Top Scorer: Sovandeep Biswas — 49* (18b, 2×4, 6×6, SR 272.22); Best Bowler: Alok Kumar — 2/30 (3 Ov)

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