The bowlers didn’t have a great day, but the betters delivered as Bengal began their Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy campaign with a six-wicket win over Baroda in Hyderabad on Wednesday.
Opting to bat, Baroda posted a competitive 181/8. Openers Abishek Porel (50 off 24 balls) and spinner all-rounder Karan Lal (42 off 21 balls) then smashed 82 in just six overs to lay the foundation for Bengal’s victory.
Bengal had slipped to 116/4 in the 11th over, but their former white-ball captain Sudip Gharami (27 not out off 18 balls) and Shahbaz Ahmed (38 not out off 21 balls) remained steady to take their team home with 17 balls to spare.
Earlier, medium-pacer Saksham Choudhary (2/24 in 3 overs) stood out with the ball for Bengal, while Shahbaz (1/26) too was economical.
In Calcutta, Jammu and Kashmir rode on the efforts of their quicks Auqib Nabi (3/28) and Umran Malik (2/24), beating Maharashtra by five wickets in their campaign opener at Eden Gardens.
At the JU Salt Lake campus ground, captain Vaibhav Suryavanshi managed just 14 as Bihar lost to Chandigarh by six wickets.
Brief scores: Baroda 181/8 in 20 ovs (Bhanu Pania 53 n.o.; Saksham Choudhary 2/24). Bengal 182/4 in 17.1 ovs (Abishek Porel 50, Karan Lal 42). Bengal won by 6 wickets.
