APL 2026: Saurav’s 50*, Shubham’s four-fer lift Barpeta Braves to fourth place

Guwahati, Aug 11 (IANS) Barpeta Braves chased down 125 in a canter to prevail against Jorhat Stallions by eight wickets in match number 22 of the Assam Premier League (APL) 2026 at the ACA Stadium, Guwahati, on Tuesday. The win lifts Barpeta Braves to fourth place on the points table.

Saurav Mousum Dihingia’s unbeaten knock anchored the chase from the outset, with useful support from Pranjal Paul as Braves cruised home. Earlier, Shubham Kumar Gupta was the standout performer with the ball, picking up four wickets to restrict Stallions to a below-par total despite a dogged half-century from skipper Swarupam Purkayastha.

Opting to field, Braves struck early as they removed Erik Roy on the fifth ball of the match. Rajveer Singh and Dyutimoy Nath also fell in the powerplay as Stallions slipped to 32/3 inside five overs. Swarupam Purkayastha then anchored the innings, top-scoring with 50 off 46 balls alongside Manoj Kumar Barman, who added 35 off 34. Shubham Kumar Sharma then struck with a double blow off consecutive deliveries, leaving Stallions in trouble at 85/5 in the fifteenth over.

A late flourish from Nihar Narah, who scored an unbeaten 25 off 19 balls, helped Stallions post 124/6 in their 20 overs. Shubham Kumar Gupta finished with impressive figures of 4/28, rising to the top of the Purple Cap standings, while Rajesh Prasad picked up a wicket.

In the run chase, Braves lost Kabir Hassan Desmukh early, but Saurav and Pranjal delivered a masterclass in strike rotation as they steadied the innings with a 103-run stand for the second wicket. The latter contributed a fine 40 off 38 balls before falling to Dyutimoy Nath, but the result was already beyond doubt by then.

Dihingia continued unabated, remaining unbeaten on 64 off 48 balls with three fours and four sixes, and found company in skipper Denish Das to add the finishing touches as Braves amassed the target in 16.3 overs to complete a comfortable eight-wicket win.

Brief scores:

Jorhat Stallions 124/6 in 20 overs (Swarupam Purkayastha 50, Manoj Kumar Barman 35, Nihar Narah 25*; Shubham Kumar Gupta 4/28, Rajesh Prasad 1/20).

Barpeta Braves 125/2 in 16.3 overs (Saurav Mousum Dihingia 64*, Pranjal Paul 40; Rajjak Uddin Ahmed 1/16, Dyutimoy Nath 1/9).

Result: Barpeta Braves beat Jorhat Stallions by 8 wickets.

–IANS

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