Lucknow: A new-look Odisha team, with three T20 debutants, failed to stop Kerala from romping to a 10-wicket victory in their Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy opener at Lucknow on Thursday.
Asked to bat first after Kerala skipper Sanju Samson won the toss, Odisha posted 176/7 in the allotted 20 overs. Captain Biplab Samantray (53 off 41 balls, 5×4, 1×6)) and Sambit Baral (40 off 32 balls, 4×4, 1×6) lifted the team to a somewhat competitive total with a 79-partnership for the fourth wicket.
But it turned out to be woefully inadequate as Rohan Kunnummal smashed 10 fours and 10 sixes in a 60-ball unbeaten 121. He and Samson (51* off 41 balls, 6×4, 1×6) helped Kerala race past the target with 3.3 overs to spare.
Of the Odisha debutants, wicketkeeper-batter Sourav Gouda fell for a first-ball duck, while medium-pacers Badal Biswal and Vageesh Sharma went wicketless, like their fellow bowlers.
Odisha, placed in Elite Group A, will next face Andhra Pradesh on November 28.
BRIEF SCORES
Odisha 176/7 in 20 overs (Biplab Samantray 53, Sambit Baral 40, MD Nidheesh 4/35).
Kerala 177/0 in 16.3 overs (Rohan Kunnummal 121*, Sanju Samson 51*).
Result: Kerala won by 10 wickets.
Next match: Odisha vs Andhra (November 28, Lucknow).
