Rain dashed Bengal’s hopes and helped Pondicherry secure an eight-run win (via VJD method) in Thursday’s Vijay Hazare Trophy Group B game at the KCA Cricket Ground in Mangalapuram.

Riding on Shahbaz Ahmed’s unbeaten 60-ball 85, Bengal posted 264/8. In reply, Pondicherry were 132/2 after 30 overs when the rain began.

As they lost only two wickets and were seven ahead of their revised target (125), Pondicherry were declared winners under the VJD system, an alternative to the Duckworth-Lewis method.

The model is named after its creator, V. Jayadevan, and is used in domestic matches of the BCCI. “It’s extremely unfortunate. Their required rate was still well above six…. Had we taken one more wicket, we could’ve won,” Bengal head coach Arun Lal said.

Bengal next face Tamil Nadu on Saturday.

Brief scores: Bengal 264/8 in 50 ovs (S. Ahmed 85 n.o.). Pondicherry 132/2 in 30 ovs (P. Deshpande 62 n.o.; M. Kumar 1/17, S. Ahmed 1/15). Pondicherry won by 8 runs (via VJD method).