By Our Reporter
Shillong, April 5: Rhino Cricket Academy and Sputnik CC registered convincing victories in their respective matches of the Late P.A. Sangma Memorial T20 Cricket Tournament 2026, organised by the Shillong Cricket Association.
In the first match, Rhino Cricket Academy outclassed Capital Stars by 62 runs in a high-scoring encounter. Asked to bat first after Capital Stars opted to field, Rhino piled up an imposing 215 for 4 in their allotted 20 overs.
The innings was anchored by a brilliant unbeaten 99 off 52 balls by Nihar Deka, who fell just short of a century but dominated the opposition attack with ease. He was well supported by Sumit Kashyap, who chipped in with a quickfire 40 off 22 deliveries. For Capital Stars, Abdul Ajij Kuraishi was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 2 for 39 in four overs, while Joydeep Singh claimed one wicket.
In reply, Capital Stars struggled to keep up with the steep target and were restricted to 153 for 9 in 20 overs. Joydeep Singh top-scored with a fighting 53 off 34 balls, but lacked support from the other end. Rhino’s bowlers maintained control, with Tapan Kumar Sharma returning figures of 2 for 19 and Nihar Deka capping off an all-round performance with 2 for 20. Deka was adjudged Player of the Match for his unbeaten 99 and two wickets.
In another match, Sputnik CC defeated Lok Bhawan CC by 55 runs after a disciplined all-round display. Batting first, Sputnik CC posted 163 for 7 in 20 overs, with Mark J V Ingty scoring 37 off 29 balls and Swarajeet Das contributing 30 off 25.
Lok Bhawan’s chase never really gathered momentum as they were bowled out for 108 in 17.4 overs despite a brisk 56 off 31 balls by Krishna Chettri. Sputnik’s bowling unit shared the spoils, with Aditya Singhania leading the charge with an impressive 4 for 13 in four overs, while Nafees Siddique delivered a miserly spell of 3 for 6 in two overs.
Siddique was named Player of the Match for his match-defining bowling performance, as Sputnik CC sealed a comfortable win.
