Published on Aug 7
GUWAHATI: Captain Denish Das led from the front with a commanding unbeaten knock, while spinner Bikiran Das produced a match-winning spell as Barpeta Braves registered a convincing 70-run victory over Nagaon Rangers in the Assam Premier League at the ACA Stadium today.
Denish remained unbeaten on 72 off 45 deliveries, striking four boundaries and four sixes, while Bikiran returned outstanding figures of 4 for 13 as Barpeta secured their second win of the tournament.
With the victory, Barpeta Braves climbed to second place in the points table with four points from four matches. Dibrugarh Warriors continue to lead the standings with six points from three games.
Asked to bat first, Barpeta made a steady start before skipper Denish took complete control of the innings. His unbeaten 72 was his second half-century of the tournament and also his highest individual score in the competition so far. The league's costliest player has now moved up to second in the run-scoring charts with 126 runs from four innings.
Earlier, Kabir Hassan Desmukh (25) and Saurav Mousum Dihingia (16) provided a solid platform before Gaurav Thakuria accelerated the innings with a brisk 31 off 22 balls. Arun Sonar then added the finishing touches with an unbeaten 13 from just seven deliveries as Barpeta posted an imposing 170 for 4 in their allotted 20 overs.
The pivotal partnership came between Denish and Gaurav, who stitched together 95 runs for the fourth wicket to put Barpeta firmly in command.
Chasing 171, Nagaon Rangers never gained any momentum as Barpeta's bowlers struck at regular intervals. Rajesh Prasad removed both openers early before Shubham Kumar Gupta tightened the grip with a superb spell, dismissing Anurag Talukdar, Sumit Kashyap and Darshan Rajbangshi.
Sumit Kashyap waged a lone battle with 44 off 34 balls, but received little support from the other end as wickets continued to tumble.
Bikiran Das then wrapped up the innings in style, claiming four wickets for just 13 runs—the best bowling figures recorded in an innings in this edition of the league. Nagaon Rangers were eventually bowled out for 100 in 18.2 overs.
Shubham Kumar Gupta finished with exceptional figures of 3 for 8, while Rajesh Prasad claimed 2 for 22 to complete Barpeta's dominant all-round performance.
Brief Scores:
Barpeta Braves 170/4 in 20 overs (Denish Das 72* off 45, Gaurav Thakuria 31; Darshan Rajbangshi 2/43, Bhargav Dutta 1/21)
Nagaon Rangers 100 in 18.2 overs (Sumit Kashyap 44, SK Jnyanam 18; Bikiran Das 4/13, Shubham Kumar Gupta 3/8, Rajesh Prasad 2/22)
Key Stats:
• Denish Das scored an unbeaten 72, his highest individual score in the Assam Premier League and his second fifty of the season.
• Bikiran Das's figures of 4 for 13 are the best bowling figures in an innings in the tournament so far.
PHOTO CAPTION: Denish Das playing a shot during his unbeaten 72 runs knock.