Kolkata, June 17 (IANS) The Bengal T20 League Season 3 at the Eden Gardens on Tuesday witnessed two masterclass batting performances by Novus Royals Purulia’s Priyam Sarkar (100 off 56) and Murshidabad Kings’ Saksham Chaudhary (98 off 47).

Priyam, who scored the fourth century in the league’s history, was unlucky to end up on the losing side as Purulia went down to Murshidabad Kings by four wickets in a rain-curtailed encounter.

Batting first, Purulia posted a challenging 196/3 in 18 overs, thanks to Priyam, who smashed 10 fours and 6 sixes in his knock. Yuvraj Deepak Keshwani (56 not out off 27) also played a brilliant innings.

In reply, Abhishek Raman (43) gave Murshidabad Kings the perfect start. After his departure, Saksham played a knock to remember as he single-handedly took his team closer to victory before falling agonisingly short of a well-deserved century by just two runs. En route to his knock, Saksham struck 10 sixes and six fours as Murshidabad chased down the target, scoring 200/6 in 17.4 overs. Ravi Kumar bagged three wickets for Royals Purulia.

In the day’s second match, Shrachi Rarh Tigers edged Rashmi NES Medinipur Wizards by 3 runs in yet another thrilling contest in the league.

Batting first, Shrachi Rarh Tigers scored 169/9 in 20 overs, thanks to Rohit Kumar’s explosive 30 off just 8 balls and Shuvam Dey Sr’s 35 off 21 deliveries. For Medinipur, Sayed Irfan Aftab bagged three wickets.

In reply, Medinipur Wizards fell just short, scoring 166/6 in their 20 overs despite Abhishek Das’ unbeaten 40 off 28 balls. For Rarh Tigers, Raju Halder was the pick of the bowlers, bagging 3 for 23.

The result marked yet another nail-biting finish in the Bengal T20 League Season 3. After a one-wicket win for Shrachi Rarh Tigers and a one-run victory for Kolkata Royal Tigers in the previous two matchdays, Tuesday produced another thriller, underlining the fierce competition as the league heads towards its business end.

Brief scores:

Novus Royals Purulia 196/3 (18 overs) lost to Murshidabad Kings 200/6 (17.4 overs) by 4 wickets (VJD/Other Method).

Shrachi Rarh Tigers 169/9 (20 overs) beat Rashmi NES Medinipur Wizards 166/6 (20 overs) by 3 runs.

–IANS

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