Rourkela Steelers vs Bhubaneshwar Tigers Match 14: Rourkela Steelers will face Bhubaneshwar Tigers for the first time in the Odisha Pro T20 League. Rourkela Steelers are still searching for their first win in this tournament, while Bhubaneshwar Tigers registered their first win in the last match. This game will be played at Barabati Stadium, Cuttack, at 2:00 PM. In this article, we will cover ROR vs BBT playing XI, pitch report, and key player stats.

Rourkela Steelers vs Bhubaneshwar Tigers, Odisha T20 League, Match 14 Details:

Rourkela Steelers' Team Preview:

Rourkela Steelers have had a difficult run so far, having lost all three matches. They are still searching for their first victory in this tournament. They lost their last encounter against Puri Titans by 45 runs (DLS method). In this match, the Steelers' batting unit collapsed.

However, the game was shortened due to inclement weather, and the Titans were declared winners via the DLS method. In the bowling section, Pradeep Pradhan bowled well and picked up 3 wickets for Rourkela Steelers.

Rourkela Steelers' Key players:

Bhubaneshwar Tigers Team Preview: 

The Bhubaneshwar Tigers had a disappointing start in this tournament, but they made a strong comeback in their last game and defeated Keonjhar Miners by 37 runs. In this match, opener Gourav Choudhury was looking in an aggressive mood and delivered an excellent century of 113 runs on 56 balls. 

Bivash Shaw and Rajesh Dhupar also played short but useful innings for BT. In the bowling section, Jayanta Behera and Suryakant Pradhan plucked 3 wickets each, while Badal Biswal picked up two wickets.

Bhubaneshwar Tigers’ Key Players: 

Rourkela Steelers vs Bhubaneshwar Tigers Match 14 Playing XI

Rourkela Steelers: Aasirwad Swain ©, Akash Mahapatra (WK), Biswajit Pradhan, Amin Iqbal Khan, Binayak Sahoo, Jamala Mohapatra, Sambit Baral, Swoop Bhuyan, Ashutosh Marandi, Pradeep Pradhan, Sobhan Dev Behra, Sambit Kumar Sahoo

Bhubaneshwar Tigers: Gourav Choudhury, Prayan Prantik Samal, Bivash Shaw, Rajesh Dhupar (WK), Aryashree D Bhatta, Bikram Samal, Sambit Beja, Satyakam Bharadwaj, Suryakant Pradhan, Debabrata Pradhan, Badal Biswal

Scoring pattern at Barabati Stadium, Cuttack:

The surface at Barabati Stadium, Cuttack, is generally considered to be good for batsmen, but this can vary depending on the weather. The pitch is slightly sluggish, offering significant assistance to spin bowlers, especially in the middle overs.

Rourkela Steelers vs Bhubaneshwar Tigers Expert Opinion and Match Prediction:

The performance of the Rourkela Steelers team has been disappointing in this tournament, as they have lost three consecutive matches. Whereas the Bhubaneshwar Tigers team had registered a spectacular victory in its last game. Gaurav Chaudhary's excellent form could play a crucial role in Bhubaneshwar Tigers' victory.

Rourkela Steelers vs Bhubaneshwar Tigers Squad:

Rourkela Steelers Squad: Aasirwad Swain ©, Akash Mahapatra (WK), Biswajit Pradhan, Amin Iqbal Khan, Binayak Sahoo, Jamala Mohapatra, Sambit Baral, Swoop Bhuyan, Ashutosh Marandi, Pradeep Pradhan, Sobhan Dev Behra, Sambit Kumar Sahoo, Saideep Mohapatra, Uma Sahu, Saswat Mohanty, MD Shah Arman, Josef Behera, Milan Samal, Priya Ranjan Muduli, Subham Nayak

Bhubaneshwar Tigers Squad: Gourav Choudhury, Prayan Prantik Samal, Bivash Shaw, Rajesh Dhupar (WK), Aryashree D Bhatta, Bikram Samal, Sambit Beja, Satyakam Bharadwaj, Suryakant Pradhan, Debabrata Pradhan, Badal Biswal, Maroju Prasanth, Anshuman Mishra, Anshuman Bej, Jayanta Behera, Abhineet K Patnaik, Swagat Mishra, Abhiroop Das, Shubham Priyadarshi, SK Ajharuddin

The resurgence of age fraud is posing a significant challenge for Indian cricket, with the recent case involving Sumit Sharma, an all-rounder from Odisha. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has responded decisively, imposing a two-year ban on Sharma, preventing his participation in any domestic cricket tournaments. The BCCI’s disciplinary committee took this stern action after discovering Sharma’s complicity in generating fraudulent age certificates, a grave transgression that threatens the integrity of the sport.

The BCCI’s decision was prompted by the discovery of inconsistencies in Sumit Sharma’s age-related documentation. Discrepancies were identified between the documents he had previously submitted and those presented for his inclusion in the Ranji team, according to inside sources. Consequently, Sharma has been removed from the Ranji team, and Tarini Sa has been named as his replacement just ahead of the Odisha team’s upcoming Ranji campaign against Baroda.

See Also:“I give a lot of credit to our team” – Rohit Sharma after India’s win in the second Test

Sumit Sharma, originally known for his left-arm spin, ascended to the Odisha Senior Men’s Ranji Trophy team after delivering noteworthy performances at the club level. However, this promising career now faces a setback due to the age fraud controversy.

The OCA, through its secretary Sanjay Behera, released a press statement acknowledging Sharma’s disqualification from BCCI Domestic Tournaments for the next two years. Behera revealed that Sharma had presented multiple age certificates, and the ones submitted during his junior-level participation in the 2015-16 season did not align with those provided for the current season, leading to the severe penalty imposed by the BCCI.