Wednesday, May 06, 2026 22:45 [IST]
Last Update: Tuesday, May 05, 2026 17:06 [IST]
GANGTOK,: Cricket Association of Tathangchen (CAT) secured
their first SICA ‘A’ Division crown with a 34-run victory over Alpine Sporting
Club in the 2026 Vinod Pradhan Trophy final at Sikkim Cricket Ground, Mining.
Having put in to bat for,
CAT posted 230 in 77.3 overs in a steady team effort. Captain Lee Yong Lepcha
led from the front with 49, while Parth Palawat (46), Aamir Iqbal Bhutia (38)
and Roshan Kumar Prasad (36) all made valuable contributions. Alpine’s bowling
was spearheaded by Proloy Banerjee, who claimed a five-wicket haul, with Amit
Rajera providing strong support as the pair shared nine wickets.
Chasing 231, Alpine were
bowled out for 196 in 66.1 overs. Anwesh K. Sharma produced a resolute unbeaten
105, carrying his bat through the innings, while Gurinder Singh added 55.
CAT’s Subham Sharma
delivered a decisive spell of 5-55. He was backed by Abhishek Kumar and Akshay
Sain, who claimed two wickets apiece.
Subham Sharma was named
Player of the Match for his match-winning performance, while Akshay Sain capped
an impressive campaign by winning both Player of the Tournament and Highest
Wicket Taker awards. Naushad Shaikh of Majhitar Sporting Club finished as the
tournament’s leading run-scorer.
MLA Aditya Golay, the chief
guest for the final, along with guests of honor Dr. Sunita Pradhan, wife of
late Vinod Pradhan, and Chief Minister’s additional political secretary
Tshering Wangchuk Lepcha, and other guests handed away trophies and medals.
The final marked the
conclusion of the third edition of the tournament, which this year adopted a
two-day, 90-overs-a-side format, replacing the T20 structure used in earlier
editions.
The competition featured
eight of Sikkim’s top teams and was played entirely at the Sikkim Cricket
Ground, at Mining. CAT received the winner’s trophy along with Rs. 3 lakh in
prize money, while Alpine Sporting Club took home Rs. 2 lakh as runners-up.
The tournament honors the
legacy of Vinod Pradhan, who served as president of the Sikkim Cricket
Association from 1994-95 until 2002.
