8th MNCA Elite TournamentCYCLONE cruise to 6th straight victory, CHAMP post fifth win

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Apr 2 : CYCLONE, Thangmeiband notched up their 6th straight win in the 8th MNCA Elite Tournament and remain on top of the 12-team table by thrashing Al-Ameen, Lilong by 50 runs today at Khangabok Cherapur Public Ground.
CHAMP, Khagempali also extended their winning run to five in 6 matches by defeating REYS, Nagamapal by 35 runs at Lairenjam Public Ground to secure second place in the league table.
At Khangabok, Al -Ameen chose to field first and saw CYCLONE collect 164 runs for 8 wickets in the allotted 25 overs. They however ended up collecting 114 runs for 9 wickets in the chase to hand CYCLONE 6th win on the trot.
Bikash Singh (48 off 32 balls, 5 fours and 2 sixes) and Abdul Kasim (15-ball 26, 2 fours and 1 six) forged an unbeaten 53 run partnership for the 9th wicket for CYCLONE after Kishan added 36 off 47 balls.
Habibullah Ahammed (2/44) and Khullakpam Hanif (2/41) shared four wickets in this innings as three others picked up a wicket apiece.
In reply, Al-Ameen too faced early setbacks and lost wickets regularly to finish the chase at 114/9. They slumped to 76/6 in 17.5 overs as Nongmaithem Suraj (2/26 in 5 overs) claimed third and fourth wickets in the 11th over and Abdul Kasim (2/15 in 5 overs) clinched the 5th and the 6th wickets after Bikash and Loktongbam Santosh removed the openers cheaply. Santosh had his second wicket by removing Al-Ameen's highest scorer 31 to return with the best bowling figures of 2/8 in 5 overs before Nongthombam Denin bowled out second highest run getter for Al-Ameen Md Karim on 23 for the 8th wicket.
Bikash Singh was adjudged man of the match.
Meanwhile, CHAMP gathered 153 for 8 in 25 overs after being put to bat first by REYS and successfully defended the total by bundled out REYS for 118 runs in 22.4 overs courtesy of Md Ahsanul Kabir (4/23 in 4.4 overs) and Md Sultan Karim (3/25).
Lairenjam Ansh 32, Keisham Kenedy 31 not out, Thingbaijam Nicholson 16, Leikhram Johny 16, Md Sultan Karim 16 and Narsingh Yadav 15 led the scoring for CHAMP in an innings that saw Kiran Laishram of REYS snaring three wickets (3/14) and Md Basir Rahman picked two (2/20).
L Nanao, S Bikash and Sandeep Kumar also picked up a wicket apiece for REYS before their chase collapsed at 118 despite Kiran Laishram's late 30-ball 35.
N Manglemba and Md Basir Rahman also scored identical 15 runs in the chase as S Shangkar and L Nanao added identical 12 runs in this innings wherein Ahsanul Kabir and Md Sultan Karim shared seven wickets and M Thomas and Nitesh Sedai claimed a wicket apiece.
Ahsanul Kabir who produced an impeccable bowling performance was adjudged man of the match.