Odisha emerged champions in the 4th Womens National T20 Cricket Tournament for the Blind, defeating hosts Karnataka by six wickets in the final at Karnataka Gymkhana Ground in Hubli, Karnataka today. This was the third title triumph for defending champions Odisha.
Jamuna Rani Tudu played an important role in the Odisha win, bagging two wickets and scoring 24 runs in the title clash. Her Odisha team-mate Jhili Birua was adjudged as the Player of the Series in B-3 category. Champions Odisha received the coveted trophy and a cash prize of Rs 1.04 lakh.
Earlier in the semifinals, Odisha edged out Andhra Pradesh by 19 runs. Odisha qualified for the semifinals by winning all three of their league matches in Group A. They beat Telangana by eight wickets, Gujarat by 122 runs and Madhya Pradesh by 10 wickets.
A total of 16 teams participated in this National tournament. Teams are played league matches in four groups and the top team from each group qualified for the semifinals. The 14-member Odisha team was led by Phula Soren with Basanti Hansda as her deputy.
ODISHA TEAM: Jamuna Rani Tudu, Padmini Tudu, Smrutirekha Pradhan, Rohi Munda, Lili Behera, Basanti Hansda (Vice-Captain), Sulochana Singh, Parbati Marndi, Rachana Jena, Lina Swain, Phula Soren (Captain), Jhili Birua, Muni Purty, Beena Majhi. Coach: Sukhram Majhi; Manager: Md Jafar Iqbal.
ODISHA RESULTS:
8 January 2024 (Match 1): Telangana 50/10 in 13.2 overs (Parbati Marndi 1/3, Jamuna Rani Tudu 1/3) lost to Odisha 51/2 in 5 overs (Jhili Birua 35*; G Anusha 2/15) by 8 wickets. PoM: Jhili Birua.
9 January 2024 (Match 2): Odisha 166/3 in 20 overs (Muni Purty 82, Phula Soren 28*, Basanti Hansda 27) beat Gujarat 44/10 in 9 overs (Rachana Jena 1/5, Jamuna Rani Tudu 1/7, Phula Soren 1/7) by 122 runs. PoM: Muni Purty.
10 January 2024 (Match 3 at Karnataka Gymkhana Ground, Hubli): Madhya Pradesh 104/10 in 15 overs (Sunita Srathe 29; Rachana Jena 2/10) lost to Odisha 105/0 in 12.3 overs (Jhili Birua 59*, Rachana Jena 39*) by 10 wickets. PoM: Jhili Birua.
11 January 2024 (Match 4, Semifinals, Karnataka Gymkhana Ground, Hubli): Odisha 183/3 in 20 overs (Jhili Birua 82*, Muni Purty 44, Parbati Marndi 20) beat Andhra Pradesh 164/6 in 20 overs (V Ravanni 40, Magupallu Satyavathi 39, P Karuna Kumari 28*; Rachana Jena 2/20) by 19 runs. PoM: Jhili Birua.
12 January 2024 (Match 5, Final, Karnataka Gymkhana Ground, Hubli): Karnataka 93/10 in 18.3 overs (Jamuna Rani Tudu 2/19, Muni Purty 1/5, Rachana Jena 1/13, Phula Soren 1/18, Parbati Marndi 1/23) lost to Odisha 94/4 in 13.1 overs (Basanti Hansda 34*, Jamuna Rani Tudu 24) by 6 wickets. PoM: Jhili Birua.
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PHOTO: Players, manager and coach of the Odisha team pose with the trophy after emerging champions in the 4th Womens National T20 Cricket Tournament for the Blind in Hubli on 12 January 2024.