Calcutta: Leg-spinner Prayas Ray Burman scalped four wickets and Amit Kuila took three as Bengal pipped Kerala by three runs to reach the U-23 National One-Day tournament final, in Kanpur, on Sunday.

Bengal play Punjab in the final on Tuesday.

Batting first in this semi-final match, Bengal could manage only 196/9 in 50 overs, with Saurabh Singh (57) being the top scorer. Basil NP and Sijomon Joseph took three wickets apiece for Kerala.

However, in reply, Kerala were bowled out for 193 with two balls to spare. "Credit goes to Prayas and Amit for this victory," head coach Sourashish Lahiri said.

"Prayas was excellent with his leg-spin. I always felt he was special and he simply vindicated our trust on him.

"We don't know what's going to happen in the final. We are certainly quite confident, " Lahiri added.

Abhimanyu Easwaran, meanwhile, has been included in the U-23 team for the final.

BRIEF SCORES

Bengal 196/9 in 50 overs (Saurabh Singh 57). Kerala 193 in 49.4 overs (Prayas Ray Burman 4/36). Bengal won by three runs .