Harpreet Singh Bhatia has become a sensation and a matter of pride in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. This devoted cricketer carries himself calmly on and off the field exhibiting exuberant form. His dedication to cricket is true blue which is reflected in his performance and manner. Starting his career in 2008 for Madhya Pradesh, Bhatia is now leading Chhattisgarh after a switch in 2018. Even with uncountable performances in recent years, curiously, Bhatia has been left out from teams constructed by the BCCI.
In the recent Vijay Hazare Trophy, Bhatia had an exceptional outing with the bat. In a total of 7 innings, Bhatia hit 516 runs with an unbeaten innings. He effortlessly scored 4 fifties and 2 centuries. With 46 boundaries and 13 sixes to his name, Bhatia scored at an unreal average of 86. Only once he failed to pass the 50 run mark, such was his run making hunger.
In the first match, he scored 66 runs against Haryana. The skipper hit a half-century against Arunachal Pradesh and asserted his whip hand against Tamil Nadu by hitting 121 runs. The fourth match witnessed Bhatia’s feat of 120 runs against Bihar. He scored 77 runs while being pitted against Goa. In the 7 the match wherein Bhatia opposed Andhra Pradesh, he closed the last innings with a score of 65 runs in 54 balls.
Prior to his incredible run in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Bhatia had a decent outing in the in the Mushtaq Ali trophy as well. He scored 49 off 40 balls vs Tamil Nadu, 60 off 42* vs Chandigarh and 47 off 37 vs Odisha and was clearly the leading batter from the team.
Despite his showstopping performances, Harpreet is unfortunately under the shadow. After a stupendous 2021 season as well, Bhatia was in the unlucky bunch to not get a chance to compete in the Duleep Trophy.
14 Years in the circle with an average of 45 in First Class and List A games, Harpreet Singh Bhatia has established himself as a force to reckon with in the domestic circuit. His quest to represent India and compete in the IPL franchise still carries on. With every innings though, it seems he is getting closer to his ultimate goal.
Maybe, some things are worth the wait…..
On November 20, KSG Masters locked horns against KSG Panthers at Payyade Ground in Mumbai during the KSG (Kapol Sports Group) 40-40 Cup.
Batting first, KSG Masters piled up a respectable total of 242 in 40 overs. Krish Mehta (42 off 47) and Sagar Bhuta (45 off 47) made valuable contributions with the bat. On the other hand, KSG Panthers’ Shamik Valia wreaked havoc with the ball as he accounted for 30/4 in six overs, including one maiden.
In response, KSG Panthers were bowled out for 177 in 34.4 overs, losing the game by 65 runs. Shamik Valia smashed an imperious 51 not out off 53 balls, including four boundaries. Valia was the lone warrior in the fight for his team. On the other hand, KSG Masters had a good outing with the ball. Sagar Bhuta and Aakash Mehta were the most successful bowlers, with two scalps apiece.
KSG Masters’ Sagar Bhuta bagged the player of the match award for his brilliant all-round performance.
On November 19, KSG Superstars met KSG Blasters at Payyade Ground in Mumbai during the KSG (Kapol Sports Group) 40-40 Cup.
Winning the toss and electing to field first, KSG Superstars skittled out KSG Blasters for 167 in 38 overs. Aakash Parekh top-scored with 61 off 71 to help KSG Blasters reach a respectable score. Parekh slammed four boundaries in his gritty innings. On the other hand, KSG Superstars’ Dhaval Gandhi was the most successful bowler, claiming 16/4 in six overs, including two maidens. Gandhi was the most economical bowler too.
In reply, KSG Superstars made light work of the run chase as they overhauled the target in just 24 overs with five wickets in hand. Urmish Parekh was at the helm of the run chase as he mustered a run-a-ball 54. Parekh smashed half a dozen boundaries and cleared the rope twice in his unbeaten knock. Early in the day, he scalped 30/3 in six overs. On the other hand, KSG Blasters’ Manoj Mehta starred with the ball as he accounted for 18/3 in four overs.
KSG Superstars’ Urmish Parekh won the player of the match award for his scintillating all-round effort.
On November 19, KSG Fighters and KSG Warriors clashed against each other at Payyade Ground in Mumbai during the KSG (Kapol Sports Group) 40-40 Cup.
Batting first, KSG Fighters put together a fighting score of 251 in 37.2 overs. Ankit Jangla starred with the bat as he muscled 48 off 38, including five boundaries and a six. On the other hand, KSG Warriors’ Tejas Mehta and Tushar Gandhi rattled the opposition with their probing bowling. The duo claimed four wickets each.
Chasing a competitive total of 252, KSG Warriors completed the formalities in 37.1 overs with one wicket in hand. Prem Parekh led the run chase from the front with a delectable 52 off 51, including eight hits to the fence. Tushar Gandhi played the perfect second fiddle as he blasted 33 off 24. On the other hand, KSG Fighters’ Hiren Modi was the pick of the bowlers as he scalped 40/3 in six overs.
KSG Warriors’ Tushar Gandhi clinched the player of the match award for his stellar all-round show.
On November 21, Koli Cricket Foundation took on Sanjeevani Cricket Academy during the Milestone U13 Cricket Tournament at Senroof Ground, Mumbai.
Winning the toss and electing to bat first, Sanjeevani Cricket Academy were bowled out for 142 in 29.4 overs in the 30-over affair. Darshan Rathod top-scored with 40 off 36, including six boundaries and a six. On the other hand, Moksh Khanted wreaked havoc with the ball for Koli Cricket Foundation. Khanted scalped 38/4 in 5.4 overs.
In reply, Koli Cricket Foundation completed the formalities in 28.2 overs with four wickets in hand. The opening pair of Aditya Jaiswal (38) and Aaradhya Chinchgharkar (30) stitched a 53-run partnership. The duo set the tone for the run chase. For Sanjeevani Cricket Foundation, Nikhil Gurav was the pick of the bowlers. Gurav claimed 19/3 in six overs, including one maiden.
Koli Cricket Foundation’s Moksh Khanted won the player of the match award for his brilliant bowling performance. This was his second consecutive player of the match award in the Milestone U13 Cricket Tournament.
Mumbai Police defeated Sponsor XI convincingly in the Police Shield. After rightfully electing to bowl first, Mumbai Police bowled out Sponsor XI for just 201 in the 67th over. Mayur Sanap and Umesh Gurjar scored important half centuries but it was Yogesh Patil’s day as he bowled an incredible spell of 8 wickets for 37 runs. His spell secured the momentum for Mumbai Police.
Consistent Rohit Pol scored 86 in the run chase as Mumbai Police finished off the challenge in the 41st over. Sponsor XI could manage to claim only 5 wickets.
Mumbai Police vs Sponsor XI
Toss: Mumbai Police won the toss and elected to field
Result: Mumbai Police won by 5 wkts
Sponsors XI- 201/10 in 66.3 overs
(Mayur Sanap 60, Umesh Gurjar 53, Yogesh Patil 8/37)
Mumbai Police- 202/5 in 40.1 overs
(Rohit Pol 86, Kaustubh Pawar 47, Ruturaj Sane 30)
Victory CC narrowly avoided a defeat against PJ Hindu Gymkhana in the Police Shield. After electing to bat, Victory CC were bowled out for a subpar 187 in just 39 overs. Suraj Shinde staying unbeaten with 78 to his name as Ameya Soman contributed 51. Jitendra Paliwal claimed 4 as Atharva Bhosale and Vinayak Bhoir claimed 3 each.
With a low score to defend, Victory CC went on the aggressive. An incredible spell of 7/78 from Vijay Gohil, saw Victory CC bowl PJ Hindu out for mere 151 in the 40th over. Apart from Gohil, Bista’s spell of 3/37 sealed the deal for Victory CC.
Toss: Victory Cricket Club won the toss and elected to bat
Result: Victory Cricket Club won by 36 runs
Victory Cricket Club- 187/10 in 38.3 overs
(Suraj Shinde 78*, Ameya Soman 51, Jitendra Paliwal 4/76,
Atharva Bhosale 3/30, Vinayak Bhoir 3/55)
P.J. Hindu Gymkhana- 151/10 in 40 overs
(Yogesh Dongre 36*, Vijay Gohil 7/78, Jay Bista 3/37)
Bombay Gymkhana were found wanting against Karnataka SA in the Police Shield as the latter won a competitive game of cricket. Bombay Gymkhana scored a subpar total of 229 in 66 overs as they were bowled out. Bhupen Lalwani scored 86 and was the major contributor with the bat for Bombay Gymkhana. Karnataka SA’s Aishwary Surve claimed 5 wickets, helping Karnataka get closer to victory.
Ex-Mumbai Ranji player Eknath Kerkar played an incredible innings of 74 at the top of the order. After shining with the ball, Aishwary Surve hammered an unbeaten half century to seal the game for Karnataka in the 44th over with 3 wickets in hand.
Toss: Karnatak Sporting Association won the toss and elected to field
Result: Karnatak Sporting Association won by 3 wkts
Bombay Gymkhana- 229/10 in 66 overs
(Bhupen Lalwani 86, Rushikesh Jadhav 38, Sujay Thakkar 33,
Yashhraj Malaap 31, Aishwary Surve 5/78)
Karnatak Sporting Association- 231/7 in 43.2 overs
(Eknath Kerkar 74, Aishwary Surve 51*, Shaun Rodrigues 33)
MIG CC won by 84 runs against Cricket Club of India in the ongoing Police Shield. Batting first, MIG scored a competitive 269 in 70 overs at the loss of 9 wickets. Kaushal Valsangkar scored 57 as Arjun Tendulkar chipped in 41. Vishant More (43) and Sheesh Shetty (39) had crucial contributions as well. All-rounder Akash Parkar claimed 4 wickets.
CCI had a tough time against the MIG bowlers. Chinmay Sutar scored a fighting 60, Saksham Parashar stayed unbeaten 50 and Arya Satpute contributed 44 but that was it. No other batsmen could score major runs to take the team to victory. Left arm spinner Shreyas Gurav’s incredible spell of 6/28 dismantled the batting prowess of CCI. Arjun Tendulkar also claimed 3 wickets of his own. MIG bowled CCI out for 185 as they wont the game by 84 runs.
Toss: Cricket Club of India won the toss and elected to field
Result: M.I.G. Cricket Club won by 84 runs
M.I.G. Cricket Club- 269/9 in 70 overs
(Kaushal Valsangkar 57, Vishant More 43, Arjun Tendulkar 41,
Sheesh Shetty 39, Akash Parkar 4/55)
Cricket Club of India- 185/10 in 49.4 overs
(Chinmay Sutar 67, Saksham Parashar 50*, Aarya Satpute 44,
Shreyas Gurav 6/28, Arjun Tendulkar 3/38)
If there ever was a case of a one man army, this was the game for Ayush Vartak. New Hind SC comfortably won the game but the fighting spirit of Vartak was much appreciated. After MCA Colts elected to field, New Hind SC scored a mammoth 357 in 70 overs. Siddhant Adhatrao and Pranav Kela, both notched up centuries in their form-filled season so far. Karan Shah chipped in with a quick 42 as More scored 32. Ayush Vartak was the pick of the bowlers as he claimed 4 wickets giving away just 74 runs.
MCA Colts were bowled out for 271 in the final over of their innings, thanks to an epic spell from Parikshit Valsangkar who took 6 wickets. Ayush Vartak shined with the bat again as he was unbeaten on a stranded 60. New Hind SC won by the game by 86 in the first round of the Police Shield.
