National T20 Cricket Tournament: Chhattisgarh beat Manipur by 19 runs while Tripura thrashed Assam by 104 runs to conclude Group F matches here at Dharmanagar Cricket Stadium in the ongoing 6th edition of Nagesh Trophy – Men’s National T20 Cricket Tournament for the Blind 2023-24.The Tripura leg (Group F) ended on Monday with hosts Tripura occupying the top spot in the points table following a win against Assam. Chhattisgarh, meanwhile, sit in second position after beating Manipur here at Dharmanagar Cricket Stadium.
The first clash of the day witnessed Chhattisgarh facing off against Manipur, claiming victory by a narrow margin of 19 runs. Opting to bat first, Chhattisgarh posted a competitive total of 185/8 in 20 overs. In response, Manipur managed 166/5, falling short of the target. Sandeep Kumar’s spectacular 79 runs in 52 balls earned him the well-deserved Player of the Match award.
In the second encounter, Tripura exhibited a dominant performance against Assam, securing a convincing 104-run win. Despite the game being shortened due to weather conditions, Tripura amassed 195/3 in 18 overs. Assam struggled in their chase, ending at 91/9. Biswajit Debnath’s outstanding innings of 128 runs in 71 balls earned him the Player of the Match accolade.
Simultaneously, the Kota-leg (Group A) commenced on Monday, featuring a clash between Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu. Rajasthan emerged victorious by six wickets, with Tamil Nadu setting a target of 122/5.
Rajasthan’s skipper, Lalit Meena, played a crucial role, contributing both with the ball and the bat, picking up a wicket and scoring 30 runs. He was awarded the Player of the Match.
In the second game of the Kota leg here at JK Pavilion Stadium. Haryana drubbed Himachal by eight wickets. Himachal scored 132/9 but Haryana chased down the target in the 13th over. Bhupender Malik, who picked three wickets and scored a fifty for Haryana was named as the Player of the Match. The matches were delayed due to bad weather and both the matches were played with the reduced overs.
Tamil Nadu will meet Andhra Pradesh while Rajasthan will lock horns with Himachal on Day 2 of the Kota leg here at JK Pavilion Stadium on Tuesday.
The ongoing 6th edition of the Nagesh Trophy began on November 23 with the four teams of Group E battling out at the University of Jammu. The tournament will run till February 02, 2024, and the League stage will be played till December 29.
Nagesh Trophy was launched in the memory of Late SP Nagesh, Founder President, Cricket Association for the Blind in India and Founder Trustee, Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled. The launch of the tournament brought together the entire blind cricket community into one huge platform, by creating a milestone in blind cricket history.