Ludhiana (Punjab), Nov 16 (IANS) West Bengal defeated Punjab by six wickets, and Goa triumphed over Manipur by seven wickets in the ongoing 7th edition of the Men's National T20 Cricket Tournament for the Blind 2024-25, also known as the Nagesh Trophy, here on Saturday. With this win, West Bengal topped the table in Group E with the highest points.

The Nagesh Trophy Group E league matches began on Friday with all four teams of Group E — Punjab, Manipur, West Bengal, and Goa — battling for glory at the IPS Cricket Ground here. The Cricket Association for the Blind in Punjab is hosting the matches.

In the first match of the day, hosts Punjab scored 148/10 in their allotted 20 overs, and West Bengal easily chased down the score to seal the win by six wickets after scoring 149/4 in 20 overs. Nasiruddin Ahamed B3 of West Bengal was named the Player of the Match for 55 runs off 44 balls innings.

In the second game, Goa defeated Manipur. After choosing to bat first, Manipur was dismissed for 120/2 in 15 overs. Goa chased down the target comfortably, scoring 121/3 in 14.4 overs. Vinod A. Jugari from the Goa team was named Player of the Match for his impressive knock of 44 runs.

The next league matches will be held in December and Karnataka, Rajasthan, Odisha, and Telangana Cricket Associations will host the matches under the guidance of CABI and Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled.

After the league matches conclude on December 27, the Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI), in association with the Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled, will host the Super 8 Stage Matches in February 2025.

A total of 28 teams are competing in this T20-format tournament, including 24 state teams, 3 union territory teams, and an Indian Railways team represented by visually impaired railway employees.