Assam pulled off an upset 13-run win over Bengal in a Elite Group B in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 tournament here on Saturday while Tamil Nadu won its fourth straight match to go top of the points table.
Bengal opted to field and saw the talented Riyan Parag (77, 54 balls, 5 fours, 5 sixes) help Assam put up a fighting 157 for 5 in 20 overs. The visiting team restricted Bengal to 144 for 8.
From a spot of bother at 22 for 2, Assam rode on skipper Parag's breezy knock, which helped the team score 47 runs in the last 3.5 overs.
Parag took 18 runs from the 18th over bowled by Ishan Porel (2/34 from 4 overs) to give thrust to the Assam innings. Chasing 158 for victory, Bengal looked on course before faltering towards the end as the Assam bowlers kept a check on the run flow.
From 130 for 3 in the 18th over, Bengal slid to 144 for 8 in 20 overs as Pritam Das (3/27) and skipper Parag (2/28) did the damage. Bengal captain Anustup Majumdar (48, 47 balls, 4 fours) failed to take the team past the finish line as he saw batsmen at the other end fall in a heap.
In another match, skipper Dinesh Karthik (40 not out, 30 balls, 2X4, 2X6) and N Jagadeesan (78 not out, 51 balls, 4X4, 5X6) saw Tamil Nadu home against Hyderabad after a brief stutter in the middle of the innings.
Earlier, Hyderabad made 152 for 7 in 20 overs thanks to contributions from B Sandeep (41) and Pragnay Reddy (30) and late hitting by C V Milind (30, 11 balls, 3 sixes).
TN leads the group with 16 points after four consecutive wins followed by Bengal (12 from 4 matches). The two teams face off on January 18 with the top spot on the line.
As per the format of the tournament, the top-ranked teams from each group (Five in Elite and 1 Plate) will qualify for the knockout stage along with the next two teams in Elite Groups A to E with the most points.
Brief scores: At Eden Gardens: Assam 157 for 5 in 20 overs (Riyan Parag 77 not out, Denish Das 34) beat Bengal 144 for 8 in 20 overs (Anustup Majumdar 48 not out, Manoj Tiwary 33, Pritam Das 3/27) by 13 runs. Assam: 4 points, Bengal:0.
At Jadavpur University campus: Hyderabad 152 for 7 in 20 overs (B Sandeep 41, Pragnay Reddy 30, B Aparajith 2/22) lost to Tamil Nadu 155 for 3 in 19.3 overs (N Jagadeesan 78 not out, Dinesh Karthik 40 not out) by seven wickets. TN: 4 points, Hyderabad:0.
