Kolkata, June 15 (IANS) Riding on Sourav Halder’s hat-trick, Kolkata Royal Tigers bagged their first victory of the Bengal T20 League Season 3 after a hard-fought one-run win over Servotech Siliguri Strikers at Eden Gardens on Monday.

Put in to bat, Royal Tigers posted 147/9 in 20 overs. Abishek Porel (76 off 53) and Ritwik Roy Chowdhury (33 off 27) were the pick of the batters. For Siliguri Strikers, Ishan Porel (3-24), Geet Puri (2-28), and Kaushik Maity (2-17) were the star bowlers.

Chasing the target, Karan (46 off 35) and Sudip Chatterjee (35 off 31) gave Siliguri Strikers a fine start. Vishal Bhati (18 off 15) also chipped in with a handy knock.

Against the run of play, Sourav brought Royal Tigers back into the game in the 13th over, dismissing Vishal off the fourth ball, followed by Snehasish Saha (0) and Badal Singh Balyan (0) off the fifth and sixth balls respectively to become the second bowler to bag a hat-trick in the league’s history after Md Shami’s feat earlier in the tournament this season.

Despite the quick wickets, Pramod Chandila (35 off 23) gave Siliguri Strikers some hope, but Sayan bagged two crucial wickets in the final over to help the team script its first win. Siliguri Strikers fell short, scoring 146/7 in 20 overs. Sourav Halder was the star bowler for Royal Tigers, bagging 4 for 22, while Sayan Ghosh (2-25) and Ashutosh Kumar (1-25) also impressed.

The Bengal T20 League is a franchise-based T20 cricket competition organised under the aegis of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB). Now in its third season, the league features eight city-based franchises representing the breadth of West Bengal – Adamas Howrah Warriors, Novus Royals Purulia, Kolkata Royal Tigers, Murshidabad Kings & Kueens, Rashmi Nes Medinipur Wizards, Servotech Siliguri Strikers, Shrachi Rarh Tigers, and Sobisco Smashers Malda — competing across men’s and women’s competitions. Men’s matches are held at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, with women’s matches at the JU Salt Lake Campus, Kolkata.

Brief scores – Kolkata Royal Tigers vs Servotech Siliguri Strikers

Kolkata Royal Tigers 147/9 in 20 overs (Abishek Porel 76, Ritwik Roy Chowdhury 33; Ishan Porel 3-24, Geet Puri 2-28, Kaushik Maity 2-17) beat Servotech Siliguri Strikers 146/7 in 20 overs (Karan 46, Sudip Chatterjee 35, Pramod Chandila 35; Sourav Halder 4-22, Sayan Ghosh 2-25) won by 1 run

–IANS

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