Nagesh Trophy: Karnataka end on top after beating Pondicherry, Delhi beat Uttarakhand by 47 runs

Dehradun (Uttarakhand): Karnataka thrashed Pondicherry by nine wickets while Delhi registered a 47-run win over Uttarakhand in the 6th edition of Nagesh Trophy – Men’s National T20 Cricket Tournament for the Blind 2023-24 at the Doon Baluni Cricket Academy here on Friday.

In the first match on Friday, the Karnataka bowlers wreaked havoc and restricted Pondicherry to 107/8 in the allotted 20 overs. Out of eight wickets, three came from the run-outs. Gudadappa was the pick of the bowlers, scalping three wickets.

Sai Magunta (49) and Lokesha (26) then helped Karnataka chase the target quite comfortably in nine overs. Gudadappa was adjudged the Player of the Match for his skilful bowling.

In the last match in Group B, Delhi smashed 190/3 in the allotted 20 overs and then restricted Uttarakhand to 143/6, thereby registering a comfortable win. Player of the Match Irfan Diwan smashed a match-winning 57 in just 24 balls.

Karnataka ended the Dehradun leg with 8 points at the top. The side was the major force to reckon with as it didn’t lose a single match. Delhi (6 points) lost a match while winning three.

Uttarakhand and Maharashtra registered four and two points respectively while Pondicherry had a tournament to forget as the side lost all its four matches.

Now the action moves to Kochi and Chandigarh, where 10 teams will compete with each other in Groups C and D of the league stage matches. The matches of the Group will be played from December 18, 2023.

The ongoing 6th edition of the Nagesh Trophy began on November 23 with the four teams of Group E battling out at the University of Jammu. The tournament will run till February 02, 2024, and the League stage will be played till December 29.

The Nagesh Trophy was launched in the memory of Late SP Nagesh, Founder President, of the Cricket Association for the Blind in India and Founder Trustee, Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled. The launch of the tournament brought together the entire blind cricket community into one huge platform, by creating a milestone in blind cricket history.

–IANS