Kolkata : Debutants Novus Royals Purulia made an impressive start to their Bengal T20 League campaign, defeating defending champions Adamas Howrah Warriors by 4 runs in a thrilling Season 3 opener at Eden Gardens on Friday.
Asked to bat first, Novus Royals Purulia posted a competitive 154/6 in their 20 overs. Yuvraj Deepak Keswani anchored the innings with an unbeaten 54 off 38 deliveries, striking crucial boundaries during the latter stages. He received valuable support from Ankur Paul, who scored 33 off 25 balls, while Pradipta Pramanik provided late impetus with a brisk 30 off just 18 deliveries.
For the Warriors, Kanishk Seth was the standout bowler, returning figures of 3/23 to keep the Royals in check.
In reply, Adamas Howrah Warriors fought hard but fell agonisingly short of the target. Ankit Chatterjee top-scored with 43 off 31 balls, keeping the chase alive before the Royals struck at crucial intervals to seize control of the contest.
Pritam Chakraborty, Pradipta Pramanik and Impact Player Harsh Dev Gautam picked up two wickets apiece as Novus Royals Purulia bowled out the defending champions for 150 in 19.5 overs to seal a memorable four-run victory. Kanishk Seth tried hard to win it for Howrah by scoring late 16*(5) but fall of wickets and run out of last wicket couldn’t save Howrah from the loss against debutants.
The result marked a dream beginning for Novus Royals Purulia in their maiden Bengal T20 League appearance, while Adamas Howrah Warriors were handed a rare defeat as their title defence got off to a disappointing start. Pradipta Pramanik was awarded Player of the match award for his all-round show.
“It’s a great feeling to start our journey with a win. As a new team, many of us are playing together for the first time, so getting off to a winning start is very satisfying. The wicket wasn’t the easiest to bat on in the first innings, but we managed to put up a competitive total and our bowlers did an excellent job defending it. This is just the first game, but there are plenty of positives for us to take forward and build on as the tournament progresses,” said star player of the match Yuvraj Deepak Keswani who scored brilliant half century for Purulia.
Brief scorecard –
Novus Purulia Royals: 154/6 (20 overs)
Adamas Howrah Warriors – 150/10 (19.5 overs)
Result : Novas Royals Purulia win by 4 runs.
