Dhruba Shyam's Explosive 46 and Sayak Bhandari's All-Round 30 & 3/25 Seal Comfortable 25-Run Win for New Town Buddies Over Challengers XI

April 7, 2026

MATCH REPORT — | POWERED BY CRIC TALENTS

KOLKATA, INDIA — Man of the Match Sayak Bhandari delivered a superb all-round performance — smashing 30 off 18 balls (2 fours, 3 sixes) to anchor New Town Buddies' total of 119/9, then returning with the ball to claim 3 wickets for 25 runs — as his team beat Challengers XI by 25 runs in the Calcutta Cricket League Season 3.0. Challengers XI were bowled out for 94 in 12.3 overs, with only Subhajit Naskar's blistering 40 off 18 providing any real resistance.

First Innings: New Town Buddies — 119/9 (12.2 overs)

New Town Buddies were powered by two outstanding individual performances at the top and in the middle, but lost wickets steadily around them to finish at a competitive but not imposing total.

Dhruba Shyam (c) — 46 off 23 (2 fours, 5 sixes, SR 200.00)

The captain led from the front with a magnificent 46 off just 23 balls — an innings of sheer authority. 5 sixes and 2 fours produced a strike rate of exactly 200, dominating the powerplay and setting the platform for a big total. His 46 constituted nearly 40% of the team's runs from the bat. He was finally caught by Pallav Sadhukhan off Samiran Pal at 108/5 in the 10th over, but by then the damage was done.

Sayak Bhandari — 30 off 18 (2 fours, 3 sixes, SR 166.67)

The Man of the Match anchored the middle overs with a crucial 30 off 18 balls. Where Dhruba Shyam was explosive, Bhandari was measured yet aggressive — picking his moments to attack with 3 sixes and 2 fours. His innings bridged the gap between the captain's fireworks and the lower order, ensuring New Town Buddies posted a defendable total. Caught behind by Sayan Banerjee off Pallav Sadhukhan at 93/4 in the 9th over.

Other Batting Contributions

• Nilesh Kumar (17 off 14, 1 four, 1 six, SR 121.43) — a solid contribution at number 4, adding valuable runs in the middle overs. Caught by Pallav Sadhukhan off Samiran Pal at 60/3
• Soumik Mondal (wk) (5 off 3, 1 four, SR 166.67) — aggressive start alongside the captain before falling early, caught by Subhajit Naskar off Sayan Banerjee at 7/1
• Uday (1 off 2) — fell cheaply at 8/2, caught by Ankur Nath off Pallav Sadhukhan. Two quick wickets put pressure on the middle order
• Dhana Virat (2 off 3) — bowled by Tublu at 116/7
• Cheboli Saikiran (3 off 4) — caught by Samiran Pal off Tublu at 114/6
• Prasanto Bhakat (2 off 6) — caught by Debojit off Rahul Shee at 119/8
• Tyson (1 off 3) — caught behind off Sayan Banerjee at 119/9
• Sanket Karmakar (0* off 0) — remained not out

The innings followed a clear pattern — Dhruba Shyam's blitz at the top, Bhandari's anchor in the middle, then a collapse from 108/5 to 119/9 in the death as Challengers XI's bowlers fought back impressively.

Challengers XI Bowling

• Sayan Banerjee: 2.2-0-15-2 (Eco 6.43) — the most economical of the main bowlers, picking up Soumik Mondal and Tyson with just 4 dot balls
• Rahul Shee (c): 1-0-3-1 (Eco 3.00) — outstanding economy! Just 3 runs from his only over with 4 dot balls, and the wicket of Prasanto Bhakat
• Tublu: 3-0-28-2 (Eco 9.33) — took 2 key wickets (Dhana Virat bowled, Cheboli Saikiran caught) with 9 dot balls in 3 overs
• Samiran Pal: 3-0-31-2 (Eco 10.33) — dismissed the dangerous Dhruba Shyam and Nilesh Kumar, though expensive. 9 dot balls showed he created pressure
• Pallav Sadhukhan: 2-0-26-2 (Eco 13.00) — took Uday and Sayak Bhandari but was targeted for 3 fours and 2 sixes
• Debanjan Ganguly: 1-0-15-0 (Eco 15.00) — the most expensive, conceding 2 sixes in his only over

Second Innings: Challengers XI — 94/10 (12.3 overs) | Target: 120

Chasing 120, Challengers XI were never truly in the hunt after losing early wickets. The New Town Buddies bowling attack was disciplined and struck at exactly the right moments to keep the pressure relentless.

The Top-Order Collapse

The chase started disastrously. Samiran Pal (1 off 3) was caught behind by Soumik Mondal off Nilesh Kumar in the very first over. Akash Ghosh (4 off 5) followed at 13/2, caught by Tyson off Sayak Bhandari. When Tublu (10 off 8, 1 six) was caught by Prasanto Bhakat off Sayak Bhandari at 20/3, Challengers XI were already in deep trouble — 20/3 in 3.3 overs.

Subhajit Naskar — 40 off 18 (2 fours, 4 sixes, SR 222.22)

Subhajit Naskar played the innings of the chase — a brilliant 40 off just 18 balls with 2 fours and 4 towering sixes at a strike rate of 222.22. He single-handedly kept Challengers XI in the contest, counter-attacking with fearless strokeplay. His partnership with Debojit (18 off 16, 2 sixes) added 57 runs for the 4th wicket, taking the score from 20/3 to 77/4 and momentarily giving Challengers XI real hope.

But when Naskar fell — caught by Dhana Virat off Sayak Bhandari at 85/6 — the match was effectively over. His wicket was Bhandari's third, and the most important of the match.

The Lower-Order Slide

• Debojit (18 off 16, 2 sixes, SR 112.50) — showed fight alongside Naskar in a crucial 57-run stand. Caught and bowled by Dhana Virat at 77/4
• Rahul Shee (c) (2 off 5) — the captain fell cheaply at 80/5, caught by Dhana Virat off Prasanto Bhakat
• Ankur Nath (1 off 7) — consumed 7 balls for just 1 run, caught by Uday off Prasanto Bhakat at 91/7
• Ayan Sardar (2 off 7) — caught by Sayak Bhandari off Cheboli Saikiran at 93/9
• Sayan Banerjee (2 off 5) — caught and bowled by Prasanto Bhakat at 93/8
• Pallav Sadhukhan (0 off 1) — caught by Soumik Mondal off Cheboli Saikiran, last man out at 94/10
• Debanjan Ganguly (0* off 1) — remained not out

From the promising position of 77/4 with Naskar still in, Challengers XI collapsed to 94 all out — losing their last 6 wickets for just 17 runs.

Man of the Match: Sayak Bhandari — 30(18) & 3/25 (3 overs)

Sayak Bhandari's all-round display was the difference between the two sides. With the bat, his 30 off 18 (2 fours, 3 sixes) stabilised the innings after the early loss of Uday and bridged the gap between Dhruba Shyam's pyrotechnics and the lower order. With the ball, his 3/25 in 3 overs — dismissing Akash Ghosh, Tublu, and crucially Subhajit Naskar at the peak of his onslaught — broke the backbone of the chase. 8 dot balls in his 3 overs showed he created consistent pressure between his wicket-taking deliveries.

New Town Buddies' Bowling — Clinical & Collective

• Sayak Bhandari: 3-0-25-3 (Eco 8.33) — MOM. Key wickets of Akash Ghosh, Tublu, and Naskar. 8 dot balls
• Prasanto Bhakat: 3-1-11-3 (Eco 3.67) — the outstanding spell of the match! A maiden over plus 3 wickets (Rahul Shee, Ankur Nath, Sayan Banerjee) for just 11 runs in 3 overs. 14 dot balls — the most of any bowler
• Cheboli Saikiran: 0.3-0-0-2 (Eco 0.00) — took the final 2 wickets (Ayan Sardar, Pallav Sadhukhan) without conceding a single run! 3 dot balls in 3 deliveries
• Nilesh Kumar: 3-0-28-1 (Eco 9.33) — struck in the first over with the key wicket of Samiran Pal. 7 dot balls provided early control
• Dhana Virat: 2-0-8-1 (Eco 4.00) — miserly figures with 7 dot balls in 2 overs, dismissed Debojit with a caught and bowled
• Uday: 1-0-19-0 (Eco 19.00) — Naskar targeted him heavily, conceding 2 sixes in his only over

Prasanto Bhakat's figures of 3/11 with a maiden deserve special recognition — an economy of 3.67 in a T20 is elite. Together with Bhandari (3/25), the pair took 6 wickets for 36 runs in 6 overs — match-winning bowling.

Key Takeaways

• Dhruba Shyam's 46 off 23 (5 sixes, SR 200) set the tone — scoring 40% of the team's runs from the bat in a captain's knock of the highest quality
• Sayak Bhandari's all-round 30(18) + 3/25 was the match-winning contribution — controlling the game in both departments
• Subhajit Naskar's 40 off 18 (4 sixes, SR 222) was the best innings of the chase and nearly pulled off the impossible before Bhandari dismissed him
• Prasanto Bhakat's 3/11 with a maiden (Eco 3.67, 14 dots) was arguably the best bowling spell of the match — suffocating the Challengers XI lower order
• Challengers XI's collapse from 77/4 to 94/10 — losing 6 wickets for 17 runs — was the match-defining passage of play
• The Debojit-Naskar partnership of 57 runs for the 4th wicket was the only sustained resistance in the chase
• 12 extras from New Town Buddies (9 wides) and 14 extras from Challengers XI (10 wides) — both teams were undisciplined with the ball
• Cheboli Saikiran's 2/0 in 0.3 overs — taking the final 2 wickets without conceding a run was the perfect finishing touch