PremiumCCL 2024: A rejuvenated Bengal Tigers open their account with resounding win over Kerala Strikers
Indrajit Sukumaran’s team was outplayed in all departments of the game, as they registered their second straight loss
Last Updated: 10.53 PM, Feb 24, 2024
The second match on day 2 of the Celebrity Cricket League had the Kerala Strikers back on field in less than 24 hours since their first match against the Mumbai Heroes, which they’d lost. The Strikers took on the Bengal Tigers in a match that would more or less determine their future in the tournament. Ca ptain Indrajit won the toss and elected to bowl first, hoping to capitalize on the dew factor when his team comes in to bat.
One of the issues that the Strikers had in their match against Mumbai Heroes was that they gave away way too extras with wide deliveries and overthrows, while that was under control and they were a far more disciplined lot, the Bengal Tigers were determined to make every ball count.
The team’s captain Jisshnu Sengupta had earlier explained that his team was a lot better prepared this time around, which was on display when they came out to bat. In their designated 10 over, the Tigers got to a whopping 127 run total, in response to which the Strikers could muster only 103 for 2, which left them trailing by 25 runs.
When the Bengal Tigers returned for their second innings, the Strikers were able to restrict the flow of runs, but on account of the 25-run lead the former already had, they still manged to set a target of 117 for the Strikers, after posting a score of 91/6.
The run-chase in the final innings of the match, however, did not work for the Strikers. The Bengal Tigers not only maintained a tight line of bowling, but were brilliant on the field also, ensuring that a lot of well-connected shots did not make it to the boundary. They also managed to scalp wickets at regular intervals, which further stemmed the flow of runs. 83/8 is all that the Strikers could muster amid such a spirited display from the Tigers.
The first match of Day 3 of CCL 2024 begins at 2 pm on Sunday, February 25 and is between the Chennai Rhinos and Punjab De Sher. As exciting a match that is likely to be, all eyes will be on the last match of the day, between two-time champs Karnataka Bulldozers and the Mumbai Heroes, who are riding high after notching up a win in the inaugural match on Friday.
All matches of CCL are available to stream on JioCinema and the YouTube channel of Doordarshan Bharathi. Television telecast partners are Sony Ten 5, Doordarshan and Doordarshan Sports. Star Network provides regional language coverage across its different channels for up to 4 group stage matches and Qualifiers, if any. For instance, with the Kerala Strikers having lost two matches already, unless they do phenomenally well in their remaining matches, Asianet will not telecast more than 4 matches.