Sambalpur Warriors edged out Kataka Panthers by nine runs in the action-packed opening match of the 2nd Odisha T20 League -- CM Trophy at Barabati Stadium, Cuttack today. Captain Gaurav Choudhary was the main architect of the Warriors win, hitting a 46-ball 92.

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi graced the opening ceremony as the chief guest. He also did the bell ringing ceremony which marked the start of the first match of the franchised-based tournament.

Former India cricketers Suresh Raina and Debashish Mohanty, the brand ambassadors of the league, along with the franchise owners of all six teams, were felicitated by the Chief Minister during the opening ceremony.

Odisha Assembly Chief Whip (Saroj Kumar Pradhan), MLAs of Tirtol (Ramakant Bhoi), Choudwar (Souvic Biswal), Barabati Cuttack (Sofia Firdous), Sadar Cuttack (Prakash Chandra Sethi), State Sports Department Secretary Bhupendra Singh Poonia, Football Association Odisha secretary Asirbad Behera, OCA president Pankaj Lochan, Mohanty, secretary Sanjay Behera and other office-bearers were present on the occasion.

The opening ceremony also featured a special entertainment segment with Bollywood actress Mouni Roy taking centre stage and captivating the audience with her dance performances. Several popular Ollywood personalities were also present.

RESULTS:

20 Sept (Match 1): Sambalpur Warriors 193/8 in 20 overs (Gaurav Choudhary 92, Shantanu Mishra 60; Abhishek Singh 3/32, Biplab Samantray 2/34) beat Katak Panthers 184/9 in 20 overs (Kartik Biswal 56, MG Gopal 47, Soumya Ranjan Biswal 27*, Subhasis Mallick 27; Soumya Ranjan Lenka 2/16, Md Danish 2/41, Pradeep K Pradhan 2/43) by 9 runs. PoM: Gaurav Choudhary.
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PHOTO: Odisha Chief Minister, Legislators, former India cricketers, cine stars and OCA office-bearers pose at the opening ceremony of the 2nd Odisha T20 League -- CM Trophy in Cuttack on 20 Sept 2026.