Karan Lal, Shahbaz Ahmed Shine as Siliguri Strikers and Rarh Tigers Register Convincing Wins

Kolkata, June 2026 : All-round brilliance from Karan Lal and Shahbaz Ahmed powered their respective teams to impressive victories in the Bengal T20 League Season 3 at Eden Gardens on Monday, with both players making decisive contributions with bat and ball.

In the second match of the day, Karan Lal delivered a match-winning performance to help Servotech Siliguri Strikers crush Murshidabad Kings by a massive 90-run margin. The dynamic all-rounder struck a quickfire half-century before returning with a devastating spell that dismantled the opposition batting line-up.

Batting first, Siliguri Strikers posted a competitive total of 152/9 in their allotted 20 overs. Karan led the charge with an explosive 53 off just 29 deliveries, anchoring the innings while maintaining an aggressive scoring rate. Experienced batter Sudip Chatterjee also played a crucial role, compiling a composed 50 from 41 balls to provide stability in the middle order.

For Murshidabad Kings, Toufik Uddin Mondal emerged as the most successful bowler, claiming three wickets and preventing the Strikers from posting an even bigger score.

The chase, however, never gained momentum for Murshidabad. Their batting unit struggled against disciplined bowling and lost wickets at regular intervals. Karan once again took centre stage, producing outstanding figures of 4/12 to break the backbone of the chase. Supported by Ishan Porel, who grabbed 3/11, the Strikers’ bowling attack bundled out Murshidabad Kings for just 62 runs in 12 overs.

Mohammed Shami, Kaushik Maity and Vishal Bhati also chipped in with a wicket each as Murshidabad suffered one of the heaviest defeats of the tournament so far.

Earlier in the day, Shahbaz Ahmed produced a complete all-round display to guide Shrachi Rarh Tigers to a comfortable five-wicket victory over Sobisco Smashers Malda.

Asked to bat first, Sobisco Smashers Malda found scoring difficult against a disciplined Tigers bowling attack. Vikas Singh Sr top-scored with 33 runs from 22 balls, but wickets kept falling at regular intervals. The innings eventually ended at 117 in 19.4 overs.

Shahbaz was the chief destroyer, returning excellent figures of 4/15 and putting the opposition under constant pressure. Rohit Kumar and Dipanjan Mukherjee provided strong support by taking two wickets each.

Chasing a modest target of 118, Rarh Tigers approached the task confidently. Shahbaz capped his outstanding performance with a brisk 31 off 18 balls, providing momentum during the chase. Saurabh Kumar Singh contributed a steady 29 from 30 deliveries as the Tigers comfortably reached 118/5 in 16 overs to seal victory with four overs to spare.

The twin victories highlighted the importance of impactful all-round performances, with both Karan Lal and Shahbaz Ahmed playing pivotal roles in their teams’ success.

Scores

Sobisco Smashers Malda: 117 all out in 19.4 overs
(Vikas Singh Sr 33; Shahbaz Ahmed 4/15, Rohit Kumar 2/—, Dipanjan Mukherjee 2/—)

Shrachi Rarh Tigers: 118/5 in 16 overs
(Shahbaz Ahmed 31, Saurabh Kumar Singh 29)

Result: Shrachi Rarh Tigers won by 5 wickets

Servotech Siliguri Strikers: 152/9 in 20 overs
(Karan Lal 53, Sudip Chatterjee 50; Toufik Uddin Mondal 3 wickets)

Murshidabad Kings: 62 all out in 12 overs
(Karan Lal 4/12, Ishan Porel 3/11)

Result: Servotech Siliguri Strikers won by 90 runs.