Sambalpur Warriors kicked off their campaign in the Bharat Masala Odisha T20 League, CM Trophy with a victory over Kataka Panthers. The match, held at Barabati Stadium, ended with the Warriors triumphing by nine runs. This win marks a strong start for the Warriors in the tournament.
Put in to bat, the Warriors posted 193/8 in their 20 overs, with captain Gaurav Choudhary leading the way with a brilliant 88 off just 46 balls. Despite the late wobble, they managed to post a strong total of 193/8. The Warriors, however, lost momentum after the captain’s dismissal and began losing wickets at regular intervals.
His knock included nine fours and six sixes as he took the attack to the Panthers bowlers. MG Gopal and Kartik Biswal then joined forces to revive the chase and give their side hope. Kartik took the aggressive route and attacked the Warriors bowlers at the Barabati Stadium that has hosted international matches While Gopal held one end together.
Gaurav Choudhary was named Player of the Match for his match-winning innings and received the award from Surendra Natha Panda, Chairman and Founder of Bharat Masala. Mr. Sibaprasad Tripathi, Member of OCA, presented the Moment of the Match to OM-T Munde.
Reflecting on his performance and the team’s winning start, Choudhary said he was pleased to make a strong contribution in the opening game. There are areas we can improve, but getting the first win gives us good confidence going forward,” Choudhary said. “It feels great to start the tournament with a win. As a team, we wanted to begin on a positive note, and I am happy that I could contribute with the bat. The partnership with Shantanu gave us a strong platform, and we were able to put up a competitive total.
