Ranchi Cricket Club of India entered the Sanshad Cup Twenty20 cricket tournament final finishing league winners with a six-wicket victory over Birat Cricket Society of Biratnagar on Saturday. 

Ranchi finished at the top of the table with eight points with four consecutive victories and will play either Birat and hosts Kalaiya Cricket Club (KCC). KCC ended up second with six points, while Birat are third in the table with four. The winners of Sunday’s playoff between the two teams will enter the final. 

Electing to bat first, Birat made 157 all out in 20 overs but a half century from man-of-the-match Nagendra Mishra steered Ranchi to 159-4 in just 15.4 overs.

Mishra forged a 55-run stand with Arpit Soundik (23). After Soundik’s departure, he added another 63 with Nikhil Jaiswal (21) to put Ranchi in driving seat. Manoj Mandal dismissed both set batsman in consecutive balls reducing Ranchi to 128-3 in 12.3 overs but by then it was too late.

Kamal Dubey played an unbeaten 15-ball cameo of 25 runs with five boundaries to see his team through. Mishra made 53 off 35 with seven boundaries and two sixes. 

Earlier, Birat were 45-2 before Mehboob Alam and Hashim Ansari rebuilt the innings. The two batsmen stitched a 59-run partnership taking the team beyond triple figures before falling to Vikash Srivastava. Ansari top scored with 41-ball 40 with two sixes and three boundaries. 

Alam made 39 off 19 with three sixes and as many fours. Birat struggled after the fall of two set batsmen with Deepak Paswan’s nine-ball 17 helping them cross 150. Monty Singh took 3-32 for Ranchi. 

In a match between two already-eliminated sides, New Horizon Cricket Club of Bhairahawa overcame Mahabir Yuva Committee 

of Janakpur to sign off from the tournament with a single victory.