An increditable five-wicket haul by Manoj Barik went in vain as Odisha Cheetas lost to Odisha Panthers by 24 runs, via D/L Method in the truncated ninth match of the MGM Odisha T20 Cricket League at Barabati Stadium in Cuttack today. This was the third successive win for Panthers and they became sole leader with 12 points.

Put into bat, Panthers made 134 for nine with the help of useful knocks of 38 and 36 by Ankit Singh and Abhishek Yadav respectively. Among opposition bowlers, Manoj Barik bagged five wickets, conceding 24 runs, while Abhishek Raut picked up a brace.

In reply, Cheetas were reeling at 21 for four when play stopped for an hour due to floodlight failure. After resumption of the game, the number overs for the Cheetas was reduced to 10. Chasing a revised target of 83, Cheetas could make 58 for six.

This was the first defeat in three matches for Cheetas. However, Manoj Barik was declared the Man of the Match for his superb bowling. The second match of the evening, scheduled to be played between Odisha Lions and Odisha Jaguars was postponed due to night curfew imposed by the the State government.

BRIEF SCORES (31 December, 2020):

Match 9: Odisha Panthers 134/9 in 20 overs (Ankit Singh 38, Abhishek Yadav 36; Manoj Barik 5/24, Abhishek Raut 2/6) beat Odisha Cheetas 58/6 in 10 overs (Abhishek Rout 19; Subham Nayak 2/7, Basanta Mohanty 2/9) by 24 runs (Via D/L Method as match was reduced to 10 overs, target 83 runs). MoM: Manoj Barik.
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PHOTO: Manoj Barik receives the Man of the Match prize from OCA member Gautam Gajapati in Cuttack on 31 December, 2020.