Prabal Hazra's Blazing 105 and Kalyan Mahapatra's Triple Strike Seal Rajarhat Royals' 41-Run Win Over Merlion Lions
Prabal smashes an unbeaten 105 off 31 balls (12 sixes, SR 338) to power RR to 193/4, Shubhodeep's electric 21 and Aakash Banka's 26 add the finishing touches, before captain Kalyan Mahapatra's 3/8 and Abhinandan's crucial strike restrict Merlion Lions to 152/5
Rajarhat Royals produced a complete team performance to beat Merlion Lions by 41 runs, posting an imposing 193/4 in 12 overs before restricting the chase to 152/5 in 12 overs. The match belonged to Prabal Hazra, whose sensational unbeaten 105 off just 31 balls — seven fours, twelve sixes, a strike rate of 338.71 — single-handedly turned a good total into an imposing one. He was not alone: Shubhodeep Chatterjee’s brisk 21 and Aakash Banka’s classy 26 gave the innings its platform, while captain Kalyan Mahapatra’s miserly 3/8 in 2 overs and Abhinandan’s timely wicket did the damage with the ball to see Rajarhat Royals home in style.
Prabal Hazra: An Innings for the Ages
Coming in at No. 5 with the score at 65/3 and the innings needing a spark, Prabal Hazra gave it a detonation instead. His 105* off 31 balls — seven fours and a staggering twelve sixes, strike rate 338.71 — is the kind of innings that decides a match before the opposition has even batted. He walked in with Rajarhat Royals still finding their feet after early wickets and simply took the game away from Merlion Lions over the space of seven overs, clearing every boundary on the ground with ease. By the time the innings closed at 193/4, Prabal had scored more than half his side’s total off just 31 deliveries — an innings that combined brutal hitting with total control, and one that fully deserved the Man of the Match award.
Twelve sixes. Seven fours. A strike rate of 338. Prabal Hazra’s unbeaten 105 did not just build a total — it turned a contest into a procession before Merlion Lions had even walked out to field.
Shubhodeep Chatterjee & Aakash Banka: The Platform Before the Onslaught
Prabal’s fireworks were only possible because of the platform laid before him. Aakash Banka played the innings of a top-order batter finding his rhythm — 26 off 14 balls, five crisp fours, a strike rate of 185.71 — steadying the innings after early blows before falling to Golok Bera. Shubhodeep Chatterjee, batting at four, then accelerated things further with a electric 21 off just 10 balls, including three sixes at a strike rate of 210.00, pushing the score from 20/2 to 65/3 before he too fell. Between them, Aakash Banka and Shubhodeep Chatterjee ensured Rajarhat Royals were never under pressure despite losing both openers cheaply, and handed Prabal Hazra the platform from which to launch his onslaught.
Kalyan Mahapatra: Captain's Masterclass With the Ball
If the batting won the match, it was the captain who made sure it stayed won. Kalyan Mahapatra had a forgettable outing with the bat — out for 1 off 3 in the second over — but he made up for it emphatically with the ball, returning figures of 3/8 in just 2 overs at an economy of 4.00, comfortably the best bowling performance of the match on either side. He removed Debu, Golok Bera and Rony Rehman — three of Merlion Lions’ top four — inside the space of two overs, choking the chase at exactly the moment it threatened to build momentum. In a format where every other bowler in the match went at 11 runs an over or more, Kalyan’s spell of 3/8 stood out as the difference between a contest and a comfortable win.
Three wickets. Two overs. Eight runs conceded. Kalyan Mahapatra's spell did not just take wickets — it strangled the middle of the Merlion Lions chase and made 193 look completely out of reach.
Abhinandan's Timely Breakthrough
Abhinandan played a small but crucial role in the win, bowling just one over for 1/5 at an economy of 5.00 to remove Avik Kundu for 1, breaking a Merlion Lions innings that was searching for momentum at 105/5. It was the kind of tight, disciplined over that kept the required rate climbing when Rajarhat Royals needed control, and it came at a stage of the innings where a cheap wicket mattered far more than the raw numbers suggest. Alongside Kalyan’s three-wicket burst, Abhinandan’s strike ensured Merlion Lions never found the platform to mount a serious chase of 194.
Merlion Lions Fight Back — Golok Bera and Varun Singh's Late Surge
Merlion Lions did not go quietly. Golok Bera counter-attacked with 35 off 17 balls (five sixes, SR 205.88) before falling to Kalyan Mahapatra, and Rony Rehman matched him with 31 off 15 (four sixes, SR 206.67). Late in the innings, Varun Singh provided the finishing flourish that Merlion Lions needed to avoid an even heavier defeat, striking an unbeaten 32 off 13 balls with four sixes at a strike rate of 246.15. Siddhartha Sarkar (15 off 6) and Debu (16 off 8) also struck freely inside the powerplay, but the loss of three wickets to Kalyan Mahapatra in quick succession, followed by Abhinandan’s strike, meant Merlion Lions were always chasing the game. They finished on 152/5, 41 runs short of a total that Prabal Hazra had made to look far bigger than 193.
Rajarhat Royals — Batting (193/4 in 12.0 Ov)
| Batsman | Status | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kalyan Mahapatra (c) | c Chaman Kumar b Akash | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 |
| Amjad Khan | c Debu b Akash | 15 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 214.29 |
| Aakash Banka | b Golok Bera | 26 | 14 | 5 | 0 | 185.71 |
| Shubhodeep Chatterjee (wk) | c Rony Rehman b Golok Bera | 21 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 210.00 |
| 🏆 Prabal Hazra (not out) | not out | 105* | 31 | 7 | 12 | 338.71 |
| chetan (not out) | not out | 13* | 10 | 0 | 1 | 130.00 |
| Extras (wd 9, nb 3) | 12 | |||||
| Total: 12.0 Ov, 4 Wkts | 193 (CRR 16.08) | |||||
Did not bat: Sourav Ghosh, Sauvik Chaudhury, Arup Choudhury, Saurabh Goyal, Abhiraj, Abhinandan, Anupam Paul (wk)
Fall of Wickets — Rajarhat Royals
19-1 (Amjad Khan, 1.2 ov), 20-2 (Kalyan Mahapatra, 1.5 ov), 65-3 (Shubhodeep Chatterjee, 5 ov), 83-4 (Aakash Banka, 6.1 ov)
Bowling — Merlion Lions
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | WD | NB | Eco |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ajit Naskar | 2 | 0 | 32 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 16.00 |
| ⭐ Akash | 3 | 0 | 47 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 15.67 |
| Golok Bera | 3 | 0 | 40 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 13.33 |
| Chaman Kumar | 1 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 18.00 |
| Varun Singh | 1 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21.00 |
| Rony Rehman | 2 | 0 | 35 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 17.50 |
Merlion Lions — Batting (152/5 in 12.0 Ov)
| Batsman | Status | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Siddhartha Sarkar | c Abhiraj b Aakash Banka | 15 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 250.00 |
| Debu (c) | c Abhiraj b Kalyan Mahapatra | 16 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 200.00 |
| ⭐ Golok Bera | c †Abhinandan b Kalyan Mahapatra | 35 | 17 | 0 | 5 | 205.88 |
| Rony Rehman | c Aakash Banka b Kalyan Mahapatra | 31 | 15 | 1 | 4 | 206.67 |
| Subhasis | retired hurt | 7 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 70.00 |
| Avik Kundu | b Abhinandan | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Varun Singh (not out) | not out | 32* | 13 | 0 | 4 | 246.15 |
| Shahnawaz Hussain (not out) | not out | 6* | 6 | 1 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Extras (nb 4, wd 5) | 9 | |||||
| Total: 12.0 Ov, 5 Wkts | 152 (CRR 12.67) | |||||
Did not bat: Chaman Kumar, Ajit Naskar, Akash, Augustin Tanty
Fall of Wickets — Merlion Lions
15-1 (Siddhartha Sarkar, 1.1 ov), 62-2 (Debu, 4.1 ov), 101-3 (Golok Bera, 7.1 ov), 102-4 (Rony Rehman, 7.4 ov), 105-5 (Avik Kundu, 8.1 ov), 123-5 (Subhasis, retired hurt, 10 ov)
Bowling — Rajarhat Royals
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | WD | NB | Eco |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sauvik Chaudhury | 2 | 0 | 39 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 19.50 |
| Aakash Banka | 2 | 0 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 11.50 |
| 🏆 Kalyan Mahapatra (c) | 2 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4.00 |
| Arup Choudhury | 1 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19.00 |
| Abhiraj | 1 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 15.00 |
| Abhinandan | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5.00 |
| Sourav Ghosh | 1 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 14.00 |
| Saurabh Goyal | 1 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 17.00 |
| Anupam Paul | 1 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12.00 |
Result
Rajarhat Royals won by 41 runs — RR 193/4 (12.0 Ov), Merlion Lions 152/5 (12.0 Ov)
- Man of the Match: Prabal Hazra — 105* (31b, 7×4, 12×6, SR 338.71) 🏆
- Best Bowler: Kalyan Mahapatra (c) — 3/8 (2 Ov, Eco 4.00) ⭐
- Impact Knocks: Shubhodeep Chatterjee — 21 (10b, 3×6, SR 210.00) & Aakash Banka — 26 (14b, 5×4, SR 185.71)
- Key Strike: Abhinandan — 1/5 (1 Ov, Eco 5.00)
- ML Best: Golok Bera — 35 (17b, 5×6, SR 205.88) & Varun Singh — 32* (13b, 4×6, SR 246.15)
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