KOLKATA, INDIA: State Bank of India, Hyderabad, finished third in the recently concluded All India Public Sector T20 tournament held in Kolkata from March 9 to March 17. The bankmen shared the accolade with the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG). SBI opened their account with a thumping 7-wicket win over EPFO at the Eastern Railway Sports Complex in Behala on March 10.
The next day, they defeated Union Bank of India (formerly Andhra Bank, and their longstanding rivals from Hyderabad) by 7 wickets, with Danny Derek Prince top-scoring with 64 off just 46 deliveries. Bodapati Sumanth remained unbeaten on 46 as SBI chased down a target of 141.
In the Super League stage of the tournament, the bankmen faced no hassles whatsoever against MTNL, although MECON pushed their limits. Set a daunting target of 172 in 20 overs, Abhinav Munnangi (76) and KSK Chaitanya (40) helped SBI cross the line with 9 balls to spare. In the semifinal, SBI were drawn with Food Corporation of India (FCI), and this is where they finally fell short. FCI put up a gigantic total of 259-5 on the board, with Swastik Chhikara top scoring with 89.
For SBI, leg-spinner Rathan Teja was taken to task, conceding 48 runs in three overs at an economy rate of 16. In reply, captain Akash Bhandari’s 60-ball 106 (9 boundaries and 7 sixes) went in vain as the bankmen fell comfortably short by 55 runs. Their third-place playoff against CAG was called off due to heavy overnight rain, and as a result, the sides jointly shared the 3rd position.
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