Abhishek Anshu's 61 and 4/15 Power Rising Stars to the Challenger's Cup 2026 Gold Title
In the Challenger's Cup 2026 Gold Final, Man of the Match Abhishek Anshu smashes 61 off 19 balls with eight sixes and then rips through Calcutta Challengers with 4/15, as Rising Stars post 181/9 and defend it to win by 50 runs and lift the Gold trophy
Rising Stars are the Gold champions of the Challenger's Cup 2026. In the Gold Final, batting first, they piled up 181/9 in their 10 overs and then defended it comfortably, bowling out a spirited Calcutta Challengers chase to 131/8, winning the final by 50 runs. It capped a tournament run built on explosive batting, and on final day it was one man's all-round brilliance — with useful contributions up and down both line-ups — that settled the destination of the trophy.
Man of the Match: Abhishek Anshu
Rising Stars captain Abhishek Anshu produced a complete captain's performance. Walking in with the score wobbling, he counter-attacked with an electric 61 off just 19 balls (two fours, eight sixes, SR 321.05) that turned a good total into a match-winning one. He then took the new ball responsibility with the bat done and returned 4/15 in his 2 overs (economy 7.50), cutting through the Calcutta Challengers middle order at the exact moment they threatened to build momentum. It was a genuine match-defining, double-barrelled performance and a deserved Man of the Match award.
Rising Stars' Innings: A Total Built in Two Bursts
Rising Stars lost early wickets cheaply — Ghanshyam (6), Ankur Singh (2) and Mohit Dubey (8) fell inside the powerplay to leave the innings at 28/3. From there, Toxic and Abhishek Anshu rebuilt with real intent. Toxic struck a fine 51 off 18 balls (two fours, six sixes, SR 283.33) before holing out to Debangshu, and Anshu's 61 kept the scoreboard ticking at nearly two runs a ball. A collapse of three wickets for no addition at 137 briefly threatened the momentum, but Ayush Pathak made sure there was no slowdown, smashing an explosive 27 off just 7 balls (four sixes, SR 385.71) before being run out, propelling Rising Stars to a final total well out of reach for most sides in a 10-over contest.
Calcutta Challengers Fought Hard in Defeat
Chasing 182, Calcutta Challengers never gave up the fight despite the asking rate. hamzad gave them a flying start with 35 off 15 balls (five sixes, SR 233.33), but three quick wickets — all to Abhishek Anshu — reduced them to 25/4 and put the chase firmly out of reach. Even so, the middle and lower order refused to fold: Piyush counter-punched with 25 off 11 (one four, three sixes, SR 227.27), skipper Debangshu struck three sixes in a rapid 21 off 8, and Golam Masud backed up his excellent bowling spell with an unbeaten 23 off 8 (two fours, two sixes) to give the final score a respectable look. With the ball, Golam Masud was Calcutta Challengers' standout performer, taking 4/23 in his 2 overs, but 50 runs proved too steep a gap to bridge.
Champions
A total built on early wickets falling but three big-hitting partnerships recovering the innings, followed by a disciplined defence spearheaded by their captain's four-wicket haul — Rising Stars ticked every box a champion side needs. Calcutta Challengers can take real heart from how hard they competed all the way to 131, powered by contributions from hamzad, Golam Masud, Piyush and Debangshu, but on the day, Abhishek Anshu's all-round masterclass was the difference between winning and losing the Challenger's Cup 2026 final.
Rising Stars — Batting (181/9 in 10.0 Ov)
| Batsman | Status | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mohit Dubey | c Tanmay Karmakar b Piyush | 8 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 200.00 |
| Ghanshyam (wk) | c Debangshu b Piyush | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 300.00 |
| Ankur Singh | c Piyush b Masud Rana | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 40.00 |
| Toxic | c&b Debangshu | 51 | 18 | 2 | 6 | 283.33 |
| Abhishek Anshu (c) | c Piyush b Golam Masud | 61 | 19 | 2 | 8 | 321.05 |
| himanish singh | c Golok Bera b Golam Masud | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Rishav Dubey | c&b Golam Masud | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Ayush Pathak | run out Zaheer Rizvi 7 | 27 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 385.71 |
| Rahul jaiswal | c hamzad b Golam Masud | 9 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 150.00 |
| masoom Ahmad (not out) | not out | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Extras (wd 9, lb 1, nb 4, b 2) | 16 | |||||
| Total: 10.0 Ov, 9 Wkts | 181 (CRR 18.10) | |||||
To bat: Alok Kumar, Md Zafar Alam
Fall of Wickets — Rising Stars
7-1 (Ghanshyam, 0.3 ov), 18-2 (Ankur Singh, 1.4 ov), 28-3 (Mohit Dubey, 2.1 ov), 137-4 (Abhishek Anshu, 7.1 ov), 137-5 (himanish singh, 7.2 ov), 137-6 (Rishav Dubey, 7.3 ov), 153-7 (Toxic, 8.4 ov), 172-8 (Ayush Pathak, 9.2 ov), 181-9 (Rahul jaiswal, 10 ov)
Bowling — Calcutta Challengers
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | WD | NB | Eco |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Piyush | 2 | 0 | 26 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 13.00 |
| Masud Rana | 1 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 14.00 |
| Paul Zomi | 2 | 0 | 44 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 22.00 |
| Golok Bera | 1 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26.00 |
| Debangshu (c) | 2 | 0 | 45 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 22.50 |
| Golam Masud | 2 | 0 | 23 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 11.50 |
Calcutta Challengers — Batting (131/8 in 10.0 Ov)
| Batsman | Status | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| hamzad | c Rishav Dubey b masoom Ahmad | 35 | 15 | 0 | 5 | 233.33 |
| Zaheer Rizvi 7 | c Rishav Dubey b Alok Kumar | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 40.00 |
| Tanmay Karmakar | b Abhishek Anshu | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Miraj | c&b Abhishek Anshu | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Masud Rana | c Ghanshyam b Abhishek Anshu | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Paul Zomi | c Ayush Pathak b himanish singh | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 60.00 |
| Golam Masud (not out) | not out | 23 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 287.50 |
| Piyush | c Mohit Dubey b Md Zafar Alam | 25 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 227.27 |
| Debangshu (c) | b Abhishek Anshu | 21 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 262.50 |
| Sauvik Chaudhury (not out) | not out | 8 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 160.00 |
| Extras (nb 2, lb 2, wd 9) | 13 | |||||
| Total: 10.0 Ov, 8 Wkts | 131 (CRR 13.10) | |||||
To bat: Vivek Singh, Golok Bera
Fall of Wickets — Calcutta Challengers
21-1 (Zaheer Rizvi 7, 1.4 ov), 25-2 (Tanmay Karmakar, 2.1 ov), 25-3 (Miraj, 2.2 ov), 25-4 (Masud Rana, 2.4 ov), 46-5 (hamzad, 4.3 ov), 62-6 (Paul Zomi, 5.3 ov), 98-7 (Piyush, 7.5 ov), 123-8 (Debangshu, 9.1 ov)
Bowling — Rising Stars
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | WD | NB | Eco |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rishav Dubey | 1 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16.00 |
| Alok Kumar | 2 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 7.50 |
| Abhishek Anshu (c) | 2 | 0 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 7.50 |
| masoom Ahmad | 2 | 0 | 33 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 16.50 |
| himanish singh | 1 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9.00 |
| Md Zafar Alam | 1 | 0 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 17.00 |
| Ayush Pathak | 1 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 24.00 |
Result
Challenger's Cup 2026 — Gold Final
Rising Stars won by 50 runs — Rising Stars 181/9 (10.0 Ov), Calcutta Challengers 131/8 (10.0 Ov)
- Man of the Match: Abhishek Anshu — 61 (19b, 2×4, 8×6, SR 321.05) & 4/15 (2 Ov, Eco 7.50) 🏆
- Rising Stars Support Act: Toxic — 51 (18b, 2×4, 6×6, SR 283.33)
- Rising Stars Finishing Cameo: Ayush Pathak — 27 (7b, 0×4, 4×6, SR 385.71)
- Calcutta Challengers Top Scorer: hamzad — 35 (15b, 0×4, 5×6, SR 233.33)
- Calcutta Challengers All-Round Effort: Golam Masud — 23* (8b, 2×4, 2×6, SR 287.50) & 4/23 (2 Ov, Eco 11.50)
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