Patna: In their opening match of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy, Bihar faced a heavy 108-run loss against Rajasthan at the Niranjan Shah Stadium, Rajkot. Opting to field first after winning the toss, Bihar allowed Rajasthan to amass a formidable 224 runs for the loss of four wickets, powered by half-centuries from Abhijeet Tomar and captain Mahipal Lomror. In response, Bihar could only muster 116 runs for eight wickets in their allotted 20 overs. Bihar’s next fixture is against Punjab on 25 November.
Batting for Rajasthan, Abhijeet Tomar scored a fluent 64 runs, while Lomror remained unbeaten on 51 runs. Zahoor Khan contributed with an impressive 49 not out. Other notable performances included BS Sharma (27 runs) and Karthik (23 runs). For Bihar, Sakib Hussain and Mrityunjay Singh claimed a wicket each, conceding 41 runs in 3 overs and 36 runs in 4 overs, respectively. Rajasthan benefitted from two run-outs as well, adding to Bihar’s woes.
Chasing a daunting target of 225, Bihar’s innings faltered from the start, losing Bipin Saurabh for a duck. Despite brief resistance from Raghavendra Pratap (21 runs), Sakib Gani (20 runs), and Ayush Loharika (19 runs), the batting order collapsed. Lower-order contributions from Himanshu Singh (11 not out) and Sakib Hussain (12 not out) were insufficient to salvage the innings.
For Rajasthan, DL Chahar, RD Chahar, and MJ Suthar took two wickets apiece, while Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Mahipal Lomror chipped in with a wicket each. Rajasthan’s disciplined bowling and commanding batting ensured a convincing victory, leaving Bihar with much to ponder ahead of their next match.
