Sambalpur Warriors narrowly defeated Bhubaneswar Tigers to reach the final
Sambalpur Warriors booked their ticket to the Bharat Masala Odisha T20 League - CM Trophy final after edging past Bhubaneswar Tigers by nine runs on Tuesday. Matches at the historic Barabati Stadium in Cuttack continually draw enthusiastic crowds eager to watch the state's premier domestic cricket talent. Batting first, the Warriors posted 162/8 in their allotted 20 overs. They successfully defended this total, restricting the Tigers to 153/9 to set up a Wednesday night championship clash against the Keonjhar Miners.
Early struggles left the Warriors reeling at 48/3 by the eighth over. Shantanu Mishra and Saideep Mohapatra joined forces at the crease to rebuild the innings. Together, they forged a vital 68-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Mishra scored a solid 53 off 41 balls. Mohapatra added quick runs, blasting 51 from just 31 deliveries. Late wickets limited further damage, with Bhubaneswar bowlers Rajesh Mohanty claiming three for 33 in his four overs and Ashutosh Chhuria taking three for 25 in three overs.
Bhubaneswar Tigers launched their chase aggressively. Opening batters put 55 runs on the board in under five overs before Swastik Samal fell for nine runs. Rakesh Pattanaik led the counterattack with a hard-fought half-century. Despite his efforts, regular wickets kept the chasing side under pressure. Shreyansh Bhardwaj and Dinesh Kumar Manjhi tried to stabilize the innings with a 28-run fourth-wicket stand. Once Bhardwaj departed, a lower-order collapse followed. Pradeep Pradhan anchored the Sambalpur bowling attack, securing three wickets for 25 runs across four overs.
Gaurav Choudhary, captain of the Sambalpur Warriors, praised his team for recovering from a tough start. He noted that they aimed for a 160-run target and felt confident defending it. Choudhary admitted the Tigers' strong start made the game feel tight, but he found the ultimate comeback deeply satisfying. Saideep Mohapatra earned both the Player of the Match and Dynamic Striker of the Match awards for his crucial half-century. Naba Krishna Pradhan and Meenu Patnaik presented his trophies. Soumya Lenka claimed the Moment of the Match honor, awarded by Gulshan Jhurani. Fans will watch the Warriors face the Keonjhar Miners tonight at 7:00 PM to decide the tournament champion.
