Ankit Ojha's Unbeaten 104 Off 22 With Sixteen Sixes Wins Man of the Match as Newtown Kings Legend Beat New Town Buddies by 55 Runs in Semi Final 1 of The Fifty
Vishal Singh Rajput adds 56* off 15 as Newtown Kings Legend reach 195/4 despite Sauvik Chaudhury's 2/30 and Arman Ali's early strike, while Saif Ali's 50* off 13 and Lakshman's 29* take New Town Buddies to 140/3
In Semi Final 1 of The Fifty by Calcutta Challengers, Newtown Kings Legend scored 195/4 and beat New Town Buddies by 55 runs, holding them to 140/3 after 50 balls each. Ankit Ojha was named Man of the Match for an unbeaten 104 off 22 balls with one four and sixteen sixes (strike rate 472.73), and Vishal Singh Rajput added 56 not out off 15 with nine sixes. New Town Buddies fought hard in reply: Saif Ali hit an unbeaten 50 off 13 with six sixes, Lakshman made 29 not out off 12, and Sauvik Chaudhury took 2/30 to put Newtown Kings Legend under pressure early.
Sauvik Chaudhury and Arman Ali Strike Early for New Town Buddies
New Town Buddies made good use of the new ball. Arman Ali had captain Tublu (0 off 2) caught by wicketkeeper Dhana Virat at 30/1 after 8 balls. Sauvik Chaudhury then had Zahid Khan (13 off 5, two sixes) caught by Saurabh Kumar at 64/2 after 17 balls, and Zaheer Rizvi (0 off 1) caught behind by Dhana Virat at 64/3 after 18 balls. Newtown Kings Legend had lost three wickets, but the score was already 64.
Ankit Ojha's 104* Off 22 Takes the Game Away
Throughout those wickets, Ankit Ojha kept hitting, and he stayed unbeaten on 104 off 22 balls with one four and sixteen sixes, which alone made 96 of his runs. Konty added 13 off 7 (a four and a six) before he was caught by Lakshman off Saurabh Kumar at 115/4 after 32 balls. Vishal Singh Rajput then joined him, and the two added an unbroken 80 in the last 18 balls to reach 195/4, with Vishal Singh Rajput hitting 56 off 15 with nine sixes (strike rate 373.33).
New Town Buddies' Bowlers Pay for the Sixes
Newtown Kings Legend hit 28 sixes and two fours in their innings, and it showed in the bowling figures. Aurangzeb Rashid conceded 48 in ten balls with seven sixes and no dot ball, Rakesh Singh went for 29 in five balls (four sixes), and Umesh Mahakur for 19 in two balls (three sixes). Saurabh Kumar was the pick of the attack with 1/22 in ten balls and five dots, Sauvik Chaudhury took 2/30, and Arman Ali took 1/33. Dhana Virat took two catches behind the stumps. The innings also contained 9 extras (5 wides, 2 no-balls and 2 leg byes).
Uday and Umesh Mahakur Start the Chase Quickly
Chasing 196, New Town Buddies had a quick start. Uday hit 26 off 11 with a four and three sixes before he was caught by Tanmay Karmakar off Rakesh Roy at 30/1 after 12 balls. Umesh Mahakur made 22 off 9 with two fours and two sixes, but he was caught by Tublu off Prasanto Bhakat at 57/2 after 25 balls. Aurangzeb Rashid struggled for 4 off 7 and was caught by Zaheer Rizvi off Babai at 85/3 after 31 balls, leaving 111 needed from the last 19 balls.
Saif Ali's 50 Off 13 and Lakshman's 29* Keep New Town Buddies Fighting
New Town Buddies refused to give up. Saif Ali struck 50 not out off 13 with three fours and six sixes (strike rate 384.62), and Lakshman added 29 not out off 12 with a four and four sixes, together taking the score from 85 to 140/3 without losing another wicket. Their innings contained 15 sixes and 7 fours, along with 9 extras (6 wides, 2 no-balls and a leg bye), and the match produced 43 sixes in all.
Newtown Kings Legend's Bowlers Hold Firm
Rakesh Roy took 1/19 in ten balls with four dots, and Babai took 1/20 with six dots, the most dot balls of any bowler in the match. Prasanto Bhakat went for 36 in ten balls (four sixes) but took the wicket of Umesh Mahakur, and A-Jay Shaun conceded 29 without a wicket. Samrat (0/18 in five balls) and Md Aziz (Pintu) (0/17 in five) shared the remaining ten balls. Tublu, Zaheer Rizvi and Tanmay Karmakar each took a catch.
Looking Ahead
Ankit Ojha's unbeaten 104 off 22 and Vishal Singh Rajput's 56* off 15 gave Newtown Kings Legend a 55-run win in Semi Final 1. New Town Buddies can take plenty from Saif Ali's 50 off 13, Lakshman's 29*, Saurabh Kumar's 1/22 and Sauvik Chaudhury's 2/30, even though the target proved just out of reach.
Newtown Kings Legend — Batting (195/4 in 50 Balls)
| Batsman | Status | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ankit Ojha | not out | 104 | 22 | 1 | 16 | 472.73 |
| Tublu (c) | c Dhana Virat b Arman Ali | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Zahid Khan | c Saurabh Kumar b Sauvik Chaudhury | 13 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 260.00 |
| Zaheer Rizvi 7 | c Dhana Virat b Sauvik Chaudhury | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Konty | c Lakshman b Saurabh Kumar | 13 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 185.71 |
| Vishal Singh Rajput | not out | 56 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 373.33 |
| Extras (wd 5, nb 2, lb 2) | 9 | |||||
| Total: 50 Balls, 4 Wkts | 195 | |||||
To bat: Ajay Shaun, Tanmay Karmakar, Samrat, Babai, Hamzad, Sumit, Miraj, Prasanto Bhakat, Md Aziz (Pintu), Rakesh Roy
Fall of Wickets — Newtown Kings Legend
30-1 (Tublu, 8 balls), 64-2 (Zahid Khan, 17 balls), 64-3 (Zaheer Rizvi 7, 18 balls), 115-4 (Konty, 32 balls)
Bowling — New Town Buddies
| Bowler | Balls | R | W | 0s | 4s | 6s | WD | NB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rakesh Singh | 5 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Arman Ali | 10 | 33 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Aurangzeb Rashid | 10 | 48 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| Sauvik Chaudhury | 10 | 30 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Saurabh Kumar | 10 | 22 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Umesh Mahakur | 2 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Uday | 3 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
New Town Buddies — Batting (140/3 in 50 Balls)
| Batsman | Status | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uday | c Tanmay Karmakar b Rakesh Roy | 26 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 236.36 |
| Aurangzeb Rashid | c Zaheer Rizvi 7 b Babai | 4 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 57.14 |
| Umesh Mahakur | c Tublu b Prasanto Bhakat | 22 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 244.44 |
| Saif Ali | not out | 50 | 13 | 3 | 6 | 384.62 |
| Lakshman | not out | 29 | 12 | 1 | 4 | 241.67 |
| Extras (lb 1, nb 2, wd 6) | 9 | |||||
| Total: 50 Balls, 3 Wkts | 140 | |||||
To bat: Akash Raj (c), Saurabh Kumar, Rakesh Singh, Dhana Virat (wk), Arman Ali, Sudip, Sauvik Chaudhury
Fall of Wickets — New Town Buddies
30-1 (Uday, 12 balls), 57-2 (Umesh Mahakur, 25 balls), 85-3 (Aurangzeb Rashid, 31 balls)
Bowling — Newtown Kings Legend
| Bowler | Balls | R | W | 0s | 4s | 6s | WD | NB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A-Jay Shaun | 10 | 29 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Rakesh Roy | 10 | 19 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Prasanto Bhakat | 10 | 36 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Babai | 10 | 20 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Samrat | 5 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Md Aziz (Pintu) | 5 | 17 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Result
Newtown Kings Legend won by 55 runs — Newtown Kings Legend 195/4 (50 balls), New Town Buddies 140/3 (50 balls)
- Man of the Match: Ankit Ojha (Newtown Kings Legend) — 104* (22b, 1×4, 16×6, SR 472.73)
- Newtown Kings Legend: Vishal Singh Rajput — 56* (15b, 9×6, SR 373.33); Konty — 13 (7b); Best Bowlers Rakesh Roy — 1/19 (10 balls, 4 dots) and Babai — 1/20 (10 balls, 6 dots)
- New Town Buddies: Saif Ali — 50* (13b, 3×4, 6×6, SR 384.62); Lakshman — 29* (12b, 1×4, 4×6); Uday — 26 (11b); Sauvik Chaudhury — 2/30 (10 balls, 3 dots); Saurabh Kumar — 1/22 (10 balls, 5 dots)
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