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Despite valiant efforts from Bengal Ranji captain Anustup Majumdar, Bhowanipur defeated Kalighat by a huge margin of 258 runs in the semi-final of the C.A.B. First Division League Championship on Saturday at J.U. Second Campus Ground in Kolkata. On the other hand, East Bengal won the Kolkata derby at the Videocon Ground by defeating Mohun Bagan by 77 runs to reach the final of the tournament.
Bhawanipore win despite Anustup's 154
Chasing down Bhowanipur's mammoth 618-run target looked impossible from the start of the second inning for Kalighat. But when you have someone like Anustup Majumdar in your dressing room, you can hope for a miracle. But, that was not to be for Kalighat Club as despite a valiant 154 from 190 balls from the Bengal captain, Bhowanipur managed a huge 258-run win to enter the final.
At the end of Day 2, Kalighat were at 188/2 and needed 430 runs in 552 balls to complete a historical chase. Anustup Majumdar was at the crease on 107 from 127 balls along with Subham Chatterjee, who was one of their best batters in the tournament so far.
But, as soon as Rajkumar Pal opened the gate for Bhowanipur by dismissing Subham early on day 3, everything looked out of reach for Kalighat. Rajkumar then removed Kalighat's hero of the quarterfinal, Writam Porel, to make it a one-man battle for Kalighat.
Arun Chaprana tried his best with his 32 off 35 balls, but Pradipta Pramanik proved to be too good for him. Pradipta then played the decisive move of the match by dismissing Anustup Majumdar on 154 to go one step closer to the final.
Left-arm pacer Ravi Kumar then broke through the lower middle order, to make sure the defending champion would en route to defend their title in the mega final as Kalighat were bundled out for 359. Ravi Kumar with 66/4 was the pick of the bowlers for Bhowanipur along with Pradipta Pramanik, who took 3 wickets for 75.
Abhimanyu Easwaran was named the player of the match for his 149 in the first inning. Shakir Habib Gandhi and Vivek Singh were the other centurions for them.
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East Bengal win the Kolkata derby despite Suvankar Bal's 148
In the second semi-final, Mohun Bagan were chasing East Bengal's steep 410-run target. But at 146/5 at the end of day 2, their fate depended on Suvankar Bal's bat. Bal had already crossed his fifty, but needed a good partner at the other end to support him.
Vikas Singh did his best by building a 77-run partnership for the sixth wicket. But after Writtick Chatterjee dismissed him on 37, Bal had to build another partnership under the scorching heat at the Videocon Ground, in Kolkata. Sourav Halder then played a handy knock of 48 off 88 balls to shift the game towards Mohun Bagan a bit, with Suvankar Bal smashing bowlers from the other end.
Bal completed his hundred in 229 balls, and with four wickets in hand, it was all about East Bengal getting his wicket or him taking Mohun Bagan over the line. But East Bengal bowler Shreyan Chakraborty did the trick for East Bengal by first breaking the partnership and dismissing Sourav Halder.
Shreyan then picked up Anurag Tiwari's wicket to make Bal feel helpless at the other end. Rohit Kumar's run out meant Bal had no other option but to go for the biggies. Shreyan then picked up Bal's wicket to send East Bengal to the final.
Bal's valiant 148 went in vain as Mohun Bagan lost the semi-final by 77 runs. Shreyan Chakraborty with 67/4 was the pick of the bowlers for East Bengal. Sandipan Das won the player of the match for his unbeaten 108 in the first inning. Satyaki Dutta were the other centurion for East Bengal in the match.
The final will be played at the Eden Gardens after the completion of IPL 2025.
