Ranchi, June 24 (IANS) Chota Nagpur Royals clinched the inaugural Jharkhand T20 Cricket League by defeating the Jamshedpur Steelers in front of a roaring crowd packed inside the JSCA International Stadium Complex.

While the Steelers fought with grit, it was the Chota Nagpur Royals who turned the game on its head in spectacular style, pulling off a seven-wicket victory to crown themselves the first-ever champions of the league.

Batting first, the Jamshedpur Steelers posted a competitive 180/8 in their allotted 20 overs. The innings kicked off with opener Kumar Karan (28) and skipper Kumar Deobrat (39) putting on a 32-run opening stand before Karan was dismissed. A sudden flurry of wickets soon dented the Steelers’ middle-order morale, slumping them to a precarious 90/5 in 11.5 overs.

However, the game changed completely when Harsh Rana walked out to the crease. Playing a breathtaking counter-attacking knock, Rana smashed a sensational 64 off just 26 deliveries, single-handedly shifting the momentum and powering his side to a fighting total.

For the Chota Nagpur Royals, it was a collective bowling effort as Durgesh Kumar (1-15), Suprieyo Chakraborty (1-19), Chandan Kumar Mukhi (1-23), Vikash Singh (1-37), and Rahul Rajak (1-62) picked up one wicket apiece.

Chasing a challenging target of 181, the Chota Nagpur Royals suffered a massive early blow when their star skipper, Virat Singh was dismissed for just 1 run. Refusing to panic, MD Nazim Siddiqui stepped up to inject early momentum with a firing 38 off 24 balls, before the grand stage was completely taken over by Kumar Kushagra and Himanshu Dwivedi.

The dynamic duo unleashed an absolute masterclass, stitching together a 110-run partnership for the third wicket that utterly snatched the game away from the opposition. While Dwivedi played a brilliant anchor role to bring up a fine half-century (51 off 33 balls), Kushagra remained a ruthless force until the very end, storming his way to an unbeaten 78 off just 39 deliveries.

The Royals effortlessly crossed the finish line in just 17.2 overs, finishing at 184/3 to seal a magnificent championship victory.

For the Jamshedpur Steelers, Aman Kumar Singh (2-24) and Anurag Singh Sengar (1-3) fought hard with the ball, but their efforts were eventually eclipsed by the Royals’ batting supremacy.

–IANS

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