Published on Aug 10
GUWAHATI: The wait for the first century of the Assam Premier League continued as Jorhat Stallions opener Erik Roy narrowly missed out on the milestone, remaining unbeaten on 94 to guide his side to a convincing nine-wicket victory over Tezpur Titans at the ACA Stadium here on Monday.
Roy produced a sensational innings to help Stallions chase down Tezpur Titans’ target of 161 with 11 balls to spare. The opener remained unbeaten on 94 off just 59 balls, smashing 10 fours and five sixes in an innings that underlined his dominance from the outset.
Opting to bat first, Tezpur Titans endured a shaky start after Wasim Akram Haque was run out inside the powerplay. Avijit Singha Roy then steadied the innings with a composed 39 off 35 balls, while Nihar Deka contributed 16 as the pair helped rebuild the innings.
Roshan Topno and Dharani Rabha also made useful starts but failed to convert them into substantial scores, with both falling to Hridip Deka, who was the pick of the Stallions bowlers with impressive figures of 3/25.
Titans, however, finished strongly. Danish Ahmed provided the late impetus with a blistering 36 off just 15 balls, including four sixes, while skipper Ayushman Malakar chipped in with a quick-fire 18 off nine deliveries. Their efforts helped Tezpur post a competitive 160-plus total.
In reply, Stallions made their intentions clear from the beginning, with Roy taking the attack to the Titans bowlers during the powerplay. He found able support from Rajveer Singh, who scored 30 off 32 balls, while captain Swarupam Purkayastha, who opened the innings with Roy but retired hurt and returned after the fall of first wicket, provided the finishing touch with an unbeaten 34 off 20 balls.
The top three effectively broke the back of the chase, producing an exquisite range of strokes as Stallions kept the required run rate under control throughout the innings. Roy eventually finished with a spectacular unbeaten 94, falling just six runs short of becoming the first batter to score a century in the tournament. His knock is now the second-highest individual score in the Assam Premier League.
The emphatic victory earned Stallions their second win of the tournament and lifted them to fourth place in the points table. For Tezpur Titans, it was a fifth consecutive defeat, leaving them rooted to the bottom of the standings.
Roy’s unbeaten 94 also propelled him into fourth place on the tournament’s leading run-scorers’ list.
Brief Scores:
Tezpur Titans: 160/6 in 20 overs (Avijit Singha Roy 39, Danish Ahmed 36*; Hridip Deka 3/25, Abhilash Gogoi 1/25).
Jorhat Stallions: 162/1 in 18.1 overs (Erik Roy 94*, Swarupam Purkayastha 34*; Ayushman Malakar 1/34).
PHOTO CAPTION: Erik celebrating his half century. Photo: Subhamoy Bhattacharjee.
Key Stats
#Erik Roy moved up to fourth place on the Assam Premier League’s leading run-scorers’ list after his unbeaten 94.
#Jorhat Stallions climbed to fourth place in the points table with five points from five matches.


First defeat for Dibrugarh Warriors, lose top spot
GUWAHATI, Aug 10: Dibrugarh Warriors suffered their first defeat of the Assam Premier League on Monday, going down to Guwahati Royals by five wickets in the day’s second match.
Batting first, Dibrugarh Warriors were bowled out for 121 in 19 overs. Jay Borah (32) and Jitumoni Kalita (39) were the team’s leading contributors with the bat. Bastab Roy, Mrinmoy Dutta, Nipan Dutta and Deepak Gohain claimed two wickets each for Guwahati Royals.
In reply, Guwahati Royals chased down the target in 16.1 overs, losing five wickets. Opener Rohit Sen top-scored with 46, while Nibir Deka remained unbeaten on 40 to guide his side to victory.
The victory propelled Guwahati Royals to the top of the points table with eight points from five matches. Dibrugarh Warriors also have eight points from five games but slipped to second place due to an inferior net run rate. It was the first time Dibrugarh Warriors had surrendered the top spot in the standings.