Bangalore, Nov 15 (IANS): Manipur defeated Punjab by 5 wickets, and West Bengal defeated Goa by 8 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, on Thursday.

In the first match on Thursday, Punjab scored 160/4 in the allotted 20 overs. But Manipur chased the target with ease, scoring 161/5 in 20 overs to seal a comprehensive win. Preetam Singh of Manipur was adjudged the Player of the Match for his knock of 58 off 47 balls.

In the second game on Thursday, West Bengal defeated Goa. Asked to bat first, Goa managed to score 95 all out in 18 overs. While the West Bengal team comfortably chased the total down 96/2 in 10 overs. Ukil Kisku B2 from the West Bengal Team was named the Player of the Match for his gutsy knock of 30 runs.

The Nagesh Trophy kicked off on November 10, with all four teams of Group E- Punjab, Manipur, West Bengal, and Goa battling out for the glory here at the IPS Cricket Ground, Ludhiana Punjab. The tournament will be held from November 10, 2024, to February 20, 2025. The league stage will be played until December 27, 2024.

The league matches of the 7th edition of the Nagesh Trophy will be played across six venues: Bengaluru (Karnataka), Kota (Rajasthan), Bhubaneshwar (Odisha), Hyderabad (Telangana), Ludhiana (Punjab), and Kharagpur (West Bengal).

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

A total of 28 teams, including 24 state and three teams from Union Territories as well as an Indian Railways team represented by visually impaired employees of the organisation, are competing in this tournament being played in T20 format.