Lucknow: Odisha batsmen came a cropper against Bengal on Friday, losing their Syed Mushtaq Ali (T20) Trophy match by 8 wickets.
It was Odisha’s second defeat in three games in the seven-team Elite Group E. Odisha launched their campaign with an impressive 9-wicket victory over Sikkim before going down to Tamil Nadu by 5 wickets.
Asked to bat first after skipper Abhishek Raut lost the toss, Odisha lost five wickets within the power play. Raut top-scored with 24, while as many as 8 batsmen registered single-digit scores. Pacer Akash Deep and offie Writtick Chatterjee bagged three wickets apiece.
Bengal reached their target with more than 5 overs to spare. Pacer Rajesh Mohanty and left-arm spinner Sushil Barik claimed the two Bengal wickets.
Odisha next face Chandigarh on October 16.
Brief scores: Odisha 86 all out in 18.1 overs (Abhishek Raut 24; Akash Deep 3/12, Writtick Chatterjee 3/22). Bengal 87/2 in 14.3 overs (Abhimanyu Easwaran 37 not out).
Result: Bengal won by 8 wickets.
