Hubli, Jan 12: Odisha on Friday were crowned champions of the Women's National T20 Cricket Tournament for the Blind 2024 following a win against Karnataka in the final here at Karnataka Gymkhana Cricket Ground.

Odisha defeated Karnataka by 6 wickets to win the coveted trophy. Chasing a paltry 94 runs in the final, Odisha suffered early blows with skipper Phula Saren getting out for a golden duck. But Jamuna Rani Tudu and Basanti Hansda scored 24 and 34 runs respectively to take Odisha home.

Jhili Birua was named as the Player of the Match in the final. Meanwhile, the Player of the series in B1 category was awarded to Simu Das from Rajasthan, B2 Category to Menka Kumari from Delhi and B3 category to Jhili Birua. The players of the series were awarded with INR 10000 cash prize and a trophy. The runners were awarded with INR 80000 with the trophy. Winners were awarded INR 104000 with the trophy.

"I congratulate the winners and all the teams for their participation. The women's National has given new talent and CABI is happy to grab the talent to nurture them. I would like to announce the Zonal Tournament in Delhi where the best players from these states will represent their respective zones. The tournament will be held in Delhi in the month of March," Mahantesh G Kivadasannavar, Chairman of the Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI) was quoted as saying by CABI.

Coming to the finals, put into bat first, Karnataka got off to a bad start as the side lost five wickets in the powerplay. Captain Varsha along with four more players all departed cheaply. Star batter Deepika did stay a little longer on the crease having scored 16 runs in 29 balls but her stint was cut short by Jamuna Rani Tudu.

Karnataka, who had played clinically well in the ongoing tournament, found themselves struggling for runs in the finals. The side kept losing wickets at regular intervals were found reeling at 44/6 in the eighth over.

The falling of wickets didn't stop but Divakka and Renuka Rajput's contributions made sure Karnataka crossed the 90-run mark. The side however was bundled out for 93 in the 19th over and Odisha chased down the target quite comfortably.

The tournament started on Monday with 16 teams sixteen teams stepping onto the fields in Hubli-Dharwad to battle for the glory. The League stage lasted for 3 days and Karnataka, Delhi, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh qualified for the semifinals.

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While Karnataka defeated Delhi, Odisha beat Andhra Pradesh in the semi-finals. A total of 27 matches were played in the IndusInd Bank Women's National T20 Cricket Tournament for the Blind 2024. (ANI)

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