The opening day of the C.A.B. First Division Championship quarter-finals was defined by individual brilliance, as Abhishek Raman’s unbeaten 155 for Mohun Bagan and Subham Chatterjee’s defiant 133* for Kalighat Club headlined a high-scoring Saturday across Kolkata. With Bhowanipur Club also finding a hero in Abhishek Das, the batters firmly dictated terms at the start of both the quarter-final and trophy play-off stages, leaving several bowlers searching for answers on flat tracks.
Raman shows class in pursuit of a comeback
At the Deshbandhu Park Ground, Mohun Bagan Athletic Club asserted their authority in their quarter-final clash against Kidderpore Sporting Club. Despite losing opener Abhimanyu Easwaran early for a duck, Abhishek Raman anchored the innings with a marathon unbeaten 155.
Raman, who last played a first-class game for Bengal way back in 2023, played another composed knock in the knockouts, which included 15 boundaries and three sixes. It was his inning that guided the maroon and green brigade to a formidable 359/6 at the end of 87 overs.
Kidderpore’s bowlers found the going tough, although Irshad Alam and Saksham Sharma managed to pick up two wickets apiece to prevent a total runaway.
Subham's knockout fest continues for another season
In the second quarter-final, Kalighat Club produced a clinical batting display at the Videocon Ground to end the day at 305/4 against East Bengal Club. The highlight of the innings was a brilliant century from Subham Chatterjee, who remained unbeaten on 133.
Subham Chatterjee, who is known as 'Raja', is someone who scores heavily in the heats of Kolkata and often guides his team home in the knockout stages. He found an able ally in Rahul Gupta, who contributed a steady 69 before being forced to retire hurt.
Late in the day, Shashank Singh, the Bengal U-23 captain, further compounded East Bengal's woes with a quickfire 76 not out, ensuring Kalighat maintains a healthy run rate of 3.59 heading into the second day.
Abhishek Das flips role to steady Bhowanipur's ship
Meanwhile, at the J.U. 2nd Campus Ground in Salt Lake, Bhowanipur Club put up a collective batting effort against Barisha Sporting Club. After being put in to bat, Bhowanipur reached 293/6 at stumps after 79 overs.
Abhishek Das, who is normally a basher at the top and smashes bowlers around the park from the start, played a cautious inning to provide a solid start with 68. Meanwhile, Yuvraj Deepak Keswani ground out a vital 56 for them.
The momentum was maintained by Toufik Uddin Mondal, whose aggressive 60 off 59 balls injected urgency into the middle order. Ankit Mishra was the pick of the bowlers for Barisha Sporting, claiming three wickets to keep his side within striking distance as the match heads into Sunday.
Fourth quarter-final gets postponed
The fourth quarter-final between Aryan Club and Town Club at the Dumurjala Stadium got postponed since Amit Shah, the Minister of Home Affairs of India, was supposed to arrive at the ground. Since the helipad was there on the adjacent ground to the stadium, the match could not be started due to security reasons.
As per reports, the match will now take place after the votes on 29th April, 2026.