Abhiraj's All-Round Show Fires Rajarhat Royals to a 27-Run Royal Cup Win Over SHV
Man of the Match Abhiraj smashes an unbeaten 22 off 9 and picks up 2/21 with the ball; Aakash Banka's 42 and Sanjib Das's 26 power RR to 118/5, while captain Kalyan Mahapatra's economical 2/9 restricts SHV to 91/6 despite Rajnish Kumar's fighting unbeaten 25
Rajarhat Royals held their nerve in a low-scoring Royal Cup contest to beat SHV by 27 runs, posting 118/5 in 10 overs before restricting the chase to 91/6. It was a genuine team effort: Aakash Banka's attacking 42 and Sanjib Das's composed 26 built the total, captain Kalyan Mahapatra then set the tone with the ball with a miserly 2/9, and it was Abhiraj who tied it all together — an unbeaten 22 off just 9 balls with the bat, followed by 2/21 and a run-out involvement with the ball — to fully deserve the Man of the Match award.
Abhiraj: The Complete All-Round Package
Coming in with the innings needing a late push, Abhiraj blazed an unbeaten 22 off just 9 balls — one four, one six, strike rate 244.44 — to help Rajarhat Royals close out their overs with real momentum. He then backed it up in the field, bowling two overs for 2/21 to remove Piyush Singh and Sunny Sharma, and was also involved in the run-out of SWAPAN (MILON) as SHV's chase unravelled in the closing overs. Bat, ball, and field — a complete, match-defining performance.
22* off 9 balls with the bat, two key wickets and a run-out with the ball — Abhiraj had a hand in almost everything that mattered for Rajarhat Royals.
Aakash Banka and Sanjib Das Build the Platform
Aakash Banka was the standout with the bat, top-scoring with a brisk 42 off 18 balls — five fours and two sixes at a strike rate of 233.33 — anchoring the innings after early wickets fell. Sanjib Das then rebuilt through the middle overs with a composed 26 off 17 balls (two fours, two sixes, strike rate 152.94), steering Rajarhat Royals from a shaky 23/3 to a competitive position from which Abhiraj could finish things off. Between them, the pair were responsible for well over half of RR's total.
Kalyan Mahapatra's Economical Captaincy With the Ball
Captain Kalyan Mahapatra had a quiet outing with the bat, unbeaten on 5 off 5, but led from the front with the ball — figures of 2/9 in 2 overs at an economy of just 4.50, by far the tightest spell of the match. He removed Piyus Gangesaria and ARNAB PODDER inside his two overs, choking the SHV chase at a stage when it threatened to build momentum, and setting up the platform for Abhiraj and Aakash Banka to close it out.
Two wickets for just nine runs in two overs — Kalyan Mahapatra's captain's spell strangled SHV's chase right when it needed to breathe.
SHV's Rajnish Kumar Fights a Lone Battle
SHV never quite got the chase going after losing regular wickets through the middle overs, but Rajnish Kumar gave the innings some late respectability with an unbeaten 25 off just 9 balls — one four, three sixes, strike rate 277.78 — the fastest innings of the match on either side. Piyush Singh (20 off 8) had earlier given SHV a rapid start, and ARNAB PODDER chipped in with 15, but with wickets falling at regular intervals to Kalyan Mahapatra, Aakash Banka, and Abhiraj, SHV were always playing catch-up and finished on 91/6, 27 runs short.
Rajarhat Royals — Batting (118/5 in 10.0 Ov)
| Batsman | Status | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prabal Hazra | b Piku Dhar | 12 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 200.00 |
| Aakash Banka (wk) | c Piyus Gangesaria b Sunny Sharma | 42 | 18 | 5 | 2 | 233.33 |
| Biswajit Sahoo | c ARNAB PODDER b Piku Dhar | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Chetan Dubey | c Piyus Gangesaria b SWAPAN (MILON) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Sanjib Das | c Piyush Singh b Sunny Sharma | 26 | 17 | 2 | 2 | 152.94 |
| Kalyan Mahapatra (c) (not out) | not out | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| 🏆 Abhiraj (not out) | not out | 22 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 244.44 |
| Extras (nb 1, wd 7) | 8 | |||||
| Total: 10.0 Ov, 5 Wkts | 118 (CRR 11.80) | |||||
Did not bat: Anubhav Sharma (wk), Sourav Ghosh, Sauvik Chaudhury, Abhinandan(5)
Fall of Wickets — Rajarhat Royals
15-1 (Prabal Hazra, 1.3 ov), 17-2 (Biswajit Sahoo, 1.5 ov), 23-3 (Chetan Dubey, 2.2 ov), 87-4 (Sanjib Das, 7.2 ov), 92-5 (Aakash Banka, 8 ov)
Bowling — SHV
| Bowler | O | R | W | Eco |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SWAPAN (MILON) | 2 | 27 | 1 | 13.50 |
| Piku Dhar (c) | 2 | 19 | 2 | 9.50 |
| Sunny Sharma | 2 | 17 | 2 | 8.50 |
| Prasenjit Ghosh | 2 | 27 | 0 | 13.50 |
| Prasenjit | 2 | 28 | 0 | 14.00 |
SHV — Batting (91/6 in 10.0 Ov, chasing 119)
| Batsman | Status | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Piyush Singh (wk) | c Aakash Banka b Abhiraj | 20 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 250.00 |
| Piyus Gangesaria | c †Aakash Banka b kalyan mahapatra | 10 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 76.92 |
| ARNAB PODDER | c Sanjib Das b kalyan mahapatra | 15 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 107.14 |
| Agniv | c Abhiraj b Aakash Banka | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 80.00 |
| Sunny Sharma | c Sauvik Chaudhury b Abhiraj | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 112.50 |
| Rajnish Kumar (not out) | not out | 25 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 277.78 |
| SWAPAN (MILON) | run out Abhiraj | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 66.67 |
| Piku Dhar (c) (not out) | not out | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Extras (wd 6) | 6 | |||||
| Total: 10.0 Ov, 6 Wkts | 91 (CRR 9.10) | |||||
Did not bat: Dina Yadav, Prasenjit, Prasenjit Ghosh
Fall of Wickets — SHV
26-1 (Piyus Gangesaria, 3.1 ov), 37-2 (Piyush Singh, 4.2 ov), 49-3 (Agniv, 6.1 ov), 62-4 (ARNAB PODDER, 7.2 ov), 66-5 (Sunny Sharma, 8.3 ov), 75-6 (SWAPAN (MILON), 9.3 ov)
Bowling — Rajarhat Royals
| Bowler | O | R | W | Eco |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chetan Dubey | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8.00 |
| Sauvik Chaudhury | 2 | 15 | 0 | 7.50 |
| Abhinandan(5) | 2 | 27 | 0 | 13.50 |
| ⭐ kalyan mahapatra (c) — Best Bowler | 2 | 9 | 2 | 4.50 |
| 🏆 Abhiraj — Man of the Match | 2 | 21 | 2 | 10.50 |
| Aakash Banka | 1 | 11 | 1 | 11.00 |
Result
Rajarhat Royals won by 27 runs — RR 118/5 (10.0 Ov), SHV 91/6 (10.0 Ov)
- Man of the Match: Abhiraj — 22* (9b, 1×4, 1×6, SR 244.44) & 2/21 (2 Ov) 🏆
- Best Bowler: Kalyan Mahapatra (c) — 2/9 (2 Ov, Eco 4.50) ⭐
- Top Scorer: Aakash Banka — 42 (18b, 5×4, 2×6, SR 233.33)
- Key Support: Sanjib Das — 26 (17b, 2×4, 2×6, SR 152.94)
- SHV Best: Rajnish Kumar — 25* (9b, 1×4, 3×6, SR 277.78) & Piyush Singh — 20 (8b, 1×4, 2×6, SR 250.00)
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