Published on Aug 21
GUWAHATI: Rode on a nice unbeaten half century from Sibsankar Roy, Barak Legends secured a six-wicket win over Tezpur Titans in their final group league match in the Assam Premier League at the ACA Stadium here on Thursday.
Batting first, Titans got off to a shaky start as they lost Dibash Hazarika and Wasim Akram Haque in the powerplay, with the former striking 21 off 18 balls before falling in the fifth over. Nihar Deka (19) and Roshan Topno (23) chipped in with useful contributions to keep the innings ticking along with a decent partnership. Danish Ahmed top-scored with a patient 31 off 28 balls, but found little support as the middle and lower order crumbled.
Titans lost five wickets for just eight runs as Abdul ran riot, getting the better of Danish Ahmed, Abhinav Choudhury and skipper Ayushman Malakar in that span. Run-outs further compounded the collapse, with Dharani Rabha and Prachurya Kakati both dismissed without scoring. Sidhartha Sarmah remained unbeaten on 6 as Tezpur Titans were bowled out for 119 in 19.1 overs.
In response, Legends suffered an early scare, losing three wickets for just eight runs inside the first two overs. Ayushman Malakar struck twice, removing Bishal Saha and Subham Mandal, while Wasim accounted for Shraban Kumar Khound, leaving Legends tottering at 8/3.
However, skipper Sibsankar and Yasir Ali steadied the innings with a crucial stand, adding 96 runs for the fourth wicket to wrest control of the contest. Roy struck six fours in his unbeaten 55 off 39 balls, while Ali made a composed 43 off 48 deliveries before being stumped by Roshan Topno off Abhinav Choudhury. Abhishek Deb then finished things off alongside his captain, striking an unbeaten 10 off just 7 balls to seal a six-wicket win for Barak Legends in 17 overs.
Brief Scores:
Tezpur Titans: 119/10 in 19.1 overs (Danish Ahmed 31, Roshan Topno 23; Abdul Ajij Kuraishi 3/18, Shekhar Jyoti Barman 1/14, Jacky Ali 1/13).
Barak Legends: 120/4 in 17 overs (Sibsankar Roy 55*, Yasir Ali 43; Ayushman Malakar 2/29, Abhinav Choudhury 1/8).
PHOTO CAPTION: Sibsankar Roy celebrating half century.

Dibrugarh edge Nagaon by one run
GUWAHATI: Dirbugarh Warriors defeated Nagaon Rangers by a single run in the final group League match of the Assam Premier League at the ACA Stadium here today. The match was reduced to 18 overs due to rain.
With this result, Dibrugarh Warriors finish third on the points table with 14 points from 10 matches. Guwahati Royals top the table with 14 points and a superior net run rate, while Barpeta Braves finish second, also on 14 points. Barak Legends take the fourth and final semi-final spot with 13 points.
Put into bat first, Dibrugarh Warriors posted 121/8 in their allotted 18 overs. Ayush Agarwal anchored the innings with an impressive 52 off 38 balls, striking three fours and two sixes.
Nagaon Rangers' Sunil Lachit was the pick of the bowlers, claiming 4/23 from his four overs, while Bhargav Dutta picked up two wickets.
In reply, Nagaon made a strong start but kept losing wickets at regular intervals and finally fell short by one run. Jitu Ali produced a stunning counter-attacking knock of 38 off just 21 balls, with five fours and a six, while Anurag Talukdar scored 33 off 37 deliveries.
Ranjan Bikash Das returned excellent figures of 3/23, while Rituraj Biswas claimed 2/9 from his four overs to help complete a thrilling one-run victory.
Brief Scores:
Dibrugarh Warriors: 121/8 in 18 overs (Ayush Agarwal 52, Jay Borah 12; Sunil Lachit 4/23, Bhargav Dutta 2/24)
Nagaon Rangers: 120/9 in 18 overs (Jitu Ali 38, Anurag Talukdar 33; Ranjan Bikash Das 3/23, Rituraj Biswas 2/9)

APL Semi-final Line-up
August 21
• 1st Semi-final: Barpeta Braves vs Dibrugarh Warriors — 2:00 PM
• 2nd Semi-final: Guwahati Royals vs Barak Legends — 7:00 PM