Bhubaneswar, May 26: Bhubaneswar Jaguars and Balasore Baghas shared one point each with not a single ball being bowled after inclement weather forced cancellation of their Orissa Premier League (OPL) encounter at the Railway Stadium here today.

While the match was scheduled to begin three hours late around 10pm, it was finally called off after the clouds showed no signs of retreating. The on-field umpires declared that the minimum 10-over-a-side game, as earlier decided, could not commence due to bad weather conditions.

Despite the heavy downpour, the stadium was packed with thousands of cricket buffs. Hockey icon, Dillip Tirkey and several other personalities from the glamour world had also come to watch the match. But after the official announcement regarding the match cancellation came at around 9:45pm, all spectators had to return home disappointed.

This was a crucial match for the Jaguars who have suffered successive defeats in both the games they have played so far. A team needs to win at least five out of a total eight league matches to secure a berth in the semi-finals.

In the other matches, the usual 20-over format was followed. Cooperative Kings Dhenkanal was pitted against Katak Barabati Tigers at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack, which is the home venue for both teams. Till reports last came in, the Dhenkanal team, which won the toss and elected to bat first, had posted a score of 128 runs for the loss of nine wickets in 20 overs. Cuttack skipper, Biplab Samantaray claimed three wickets in one over.

At the Kila Padia (fort ground) in Angul, home team, Angul Tuskers played against Berhampur Bhanja Veers. Opting to bat first, the Veers made a miserable start as they lost four early wickets and could manage to score just 11 runs in seven overs. The Tuskers team, led by star cricketer, Debasish Mohanty, played its maiden match of the OPL.

Rourkela’s Western Samurai met the Jagatsinghpur team, JSP Sparks today at VSS Stadium in Sambalpur. Winning the toss, the Sparks batted first and were going strong at 70 runs for the loss of one wicket in 10 overs. As per latest reports, batsmen Om Bikash Nayak (44) and Subhit Biswal (24) were on the crease.

On Tuesday, Katak Barabati Tigers won against Balasore Baghas by nine wickets while Western Samurai (Rourkela) beat Puri Emperors by five runs. In the two other games, Cooperative Kings Dhenkanal beat Kashvi Power Rangers (Keonjhar) and JSP Sparks (Jagatsinghpur) overwhelmed Berhampur Bhanja Veers.

The Orissa Cricket association (OCA) has decided to schedule all matches (including today’s) of the T20 tournament from 7 pm onwards, instead of the usual 6 pm.