Bharadwaj Cricket Club opting to bat first at GFCA Sonipat notched up a very impressive total of 199/3 in 20 overs. Opener Tushar scored a solid 41 while Suryaveer Singh top scored with an aggressive 73* in 45 balls (10 fours). Captain and Wicket-keeper batsman Rohit Rawat gave a brilliant finishing cameo of 32 in mere 7 balls which had 5 big hits much to the entertainment of the spectators and his team mates. Suryaveer also got good support from Rohit Choudhary who scored 27* off just 10 balls.
Defending a healthy total of 199, Ayush Tripathy from Bharadwaj CC bamboozled batsman with his impressive bowling coming up with match winning bowling figures of 5/20 in 4 overs. Ayush was spot on with the ball and provided breakthroughs at regular intervals which resulted in R.C.A Rajkot getting all out for 100 runs in 14.1 overs.
Bharadwaj Cricket Club won the match by 99 runs in what was an collective team effort right from quick camoes by their middle order batsman to Ayush bowling an amazing spell. Suryaveer Singh who scored an anchoring knock of 73* was declared ‘man of the match’.
Ekta Cricket Club opting to bat first were not able to make too much of an impact managing 128/10 in 20 overs. Ekta CC suffered a top order collapse however Aamir (33) and skipper Navin (24) ensured that their team reached a respectable total. From the bowlers, Shivshakti with 3/22 in 4 overs and Himanshu Bharadwaj with 2/15 in 4 overs with a maiden were impressive being the pick of the lot.
Chasing 129, Even NCML team were off to a patchy start with the top 3 not managing to make much of an impact. However, it was a brilliant partnership between Himanshu Bharadwaj (46) and Anish (42) which pusher NCML towards a successful chase. Both the players soaked in pressure as NCML who were 46/4 in the 9th over at one stage chased it down in what became a last over thriller winning the match by 5wkts and 2 balls to spare.
With this win, NCML reach the grand finale of the tournament while all Rounder Himanshu Bharadwaj who took 2/15 and scored a crucial 46 was declared ‘man of the match’
Oyo Rooms after being made to bat first at Mahi Sports Ground, Gurgaon notched up a total of 188/5 in 20 overs. Skipper Rahul Sharma opening the innings scored a quick 40 while it was Neeraj Calicotey at no.3 tearing apart the bowlers with a whirlwind knock of 112 runs in 57 deliveries. Neeraj went all guns blazing hitting 7 fours and 11 sixes at a strike rate of almost 200.00 pushing his team towards a strong total. Though he lacked support from the other end, it did not affect Neeraj’s natural game. From the bowlers, Gagan with 2/24 in 4 overs was the pick of the lot.
Chasing 189 in T20 is definitely not a cakewalk but a stunning 132 runs opening stand in mere 8.1 overs ensured that the game was in Swift 11’s favor. Openers Gaurav Arora (31 off 18) and Ashwani (76 off 33) took on the bowlers from the very beginning changing the course of the game. Ashwani was particularly destructive playing at a strike rate of 230+ smashing 11 fours and 4 sixes. Swift XI eventually chased it down in just 16.2 overs winning the match by 4 wkts.
It was a dominating where Ashwani was declared “man of the match” while Neeraj’s knock was equally commendable.
Udaybhan Cricket Academy after opting to bat first at Parmarth Ground in New Delhi posted a very healthy total of 260/9 in 40 overs. Despite some quick top order wickets, Captain Ishan Chhabra (86 off 85) looked solid as he stitched a match winning 167 run stand with Vikas Kumar for the 4th wicket which proved to be the turning point in the game. Vikas coming at no.5 scored an impressive 104 in mere 88 balls (11 fours) which also included good running between the wickets nicely rotating the strike with his skipper. The rest of the batsman apart from these two struggled though they had already reached a big total by then.
Chasing 261 in 40 overs is always difficult and Mukesh Yadav Academy must have felt the pressure of chasing vs the tight bowling of Uday Bhan bowlers. Mukesh Yadav Academy were bundled out for 79 runs in 11.3 overs thanks to a brilliant spell by Madhav Kalra who came up with excellent bowling figures of 5/34 in 5.3 overs. Madhav provided breakthroughs at regular intervals as he helped Uday Bhan Academy win by a big margin of 181 runs.
It was a commanding win for the team while Vikas Kumar was declared ‘man of the match’
Off-season has began and most of the players find a way to ensure they don’t lose touch with cricket. Some opt for indoor nets to practice, some opt for county stints abroad or some opt for paid cricket tours. In an initiative by Omtex Sports which is a leading sports manufacturing company in India, they have arranged a tour to Bangalore for the Under 19 Boys.
The 12 boys which have been selected will get a chance to play high-quality professional level matches at the Padukone-Dravid Center for sports excellence. It’s a 7 days all inclusive tour with flights, hotel accommodation and meals for the selected U19 players.
On day 1 there will be a practice session at the “6 Academy” followed by two 50 over matches on Day 2 and Day 3. The 4th day will be saved for sightseeing, swimming sessions and practice while a 2 day Test match will be conducted on the 5th and the 6th day.
The opposition team would be highly trained players of the Dravid-Padukone academy and it will certainly be a memorable and enriching experience for all the young cricketers.
After opting to bat first, Roop Nagar Cricket Club notched up a decent total of 192/8 in 30 overs at the Shastri Park Cricket Ground. The openers gave a flying start putting on 59 runs while Ajay at no.3 top scored with an impressive knock of 76 runs. Ajay took mere 60 balls which included 9 fours and a six while he also stitched a crucial partnership of 94 runs which pushed the team to a healthy total.
Vasundhara Rangers chasing 193 were bundled out for 76 runs in just 18 overs on the back of some fine bowling spells by Roop Nagar CC bowlers. Shashank Gupta bowled a match winning spell of 4/14 in just 3 overs which played a crucial role in changing the game towards his team’s favor.
Roop Nagar Cricket Club won the match by 114 runs while Shashank Gupta was declared ‘man of the match’. Jehan Rawal who scored 20 runs and took a wicket too was declared “Choice of the players award”
Mayank Rawat who came into the news for scoring the fastest triple century has now again entered the record books with a brilliant display of power hitting. Over the years across various tournaments, Mayank has played very aggressively which has helped him rise up the ranks very quickly. In the match between Rajpoot Club Dehradun and Bathinda Spartans, little did the Bathinda players knew on the storm which was about to hit them.
Mayank Rawat set the Mansa Cricket Ground on fire going on to smash a breath-taking 201* off 67 balls. His innings included a record 18 sixes and 18 boundaries at a strike rate of exact 300.00 making it the fastest T20 hundred in Punjab and one of the fastest in India too. Opener Aman (61 off 28) and Gurtej Bhura (45) batted well around him as Rajpoot Club Dehradun reached a massive total of 317/2 in 20 overs.
Bathinda Spartans in reply were all out for 102 runs on the back of some tight bowling by the Rajpoot Club bowlers. Bhagvinder Lathar with 3/6 and Yogesh Kumar (2/13) were the pick of the bowlers as Rajpoot Club Dehradun won by a massive margin of 215 runs. Mayank Rawat who scored a massive double ton was declared ‘man of the match’
Few Glimpses of Mayank Rawat’s batting
Bal Bhavan Cricket Academy after opting to bat first registered a moderated total of 171/8 in 30 overs. Though good to defend but can’t be termed as a threatening total. Opener Akshay Bisht scored a solid 45 while middle order batsman Agrim Sharma scoring 38 runs.
Chasing 172, Players Cricket Academy chased it down with ease winning the match by 8 wkts. Opener Raaghav Murada scored 35 while it was Sambhav Jain being the tormentor in chief hitting a match winning 101* off 87 balls. Sambhav smashed 12 fours and 4 sixes keeping the scoreboard ticking and making the chase look easy.
It was a commanding win for Players Cricket Academy where in Sambhav Jain was declared ‘man of the match’
Held at Maharaja Umaid Singh Cricket Academy, Sector-78 in Greater Faridabad, Ravinder Phagna Cricket Academy after opting to bat first posted a very healthy total of 265/6 in 40 overs. Krishan Badana was the top scorer from their team hitting an aggressive 101 runs in 71 balls. His innings included 15 fours and 2 sixes which kept the scoreboard ticking. The rest of the batsman batted around him with 20’s and 30’s as they reached a competitive total.
Fervent Sports in reply struggled to bat against the tight bowling of Phagna Academy bowlers getting all out for a low total of 70 runs in 21.2 overs. The bowlers did a commendable job of providing breakthroughs at regular intervals with Sameer Khan and Chandra Shekhar bagging 2wkts each.
Ravinder Phagna Cricket Academy won by 195 Runs while “Man of the match” was awarded to Krishna Bhadana.
Opting to bat first at the St.Stephen’s Ground, it was certainly going to be difficult to defeat the St.Stephen Boys to defeat on their own den. However, Ravinder Phagna Cricket Academy posted a healthy total of 255/10 in 39.5 overs. Opening the innings, Ankit Phagna scored a swashbuckling knock of 105 runs in mere 73 balls laid the foundation for a healthy total on the board. Ankit smashed 13 fours and 4 sixes while the rest of the batsman chipped in with cameos.
No one had expected St.Stephen’s Cricket Academy to give such a tough fight after losing their top 3 batters for ducks. However, wicket keeper batsman Raunak scored a fighting knock of 82 runs including an almost match winning stand by Praveen who scored 62 runs off 77 balls. Even the tail chipped in with 10’s and 20’s making it a last over thriller. Luckily, Ravinder Phagna C.A got the better of them in the penultimate delivery winning the match by 2 runs. Manik Sirohi was simply sensational with the ball coming up with envious bowling figures of 5/34 in 8 overs.
Opener Ankit Phagna was declared ‘man of the match’ while it was a good neck to neck match where St.Stephens gave a tough fight despite losing by 2 runs while Manik Sirohi also played a crucial role in the team’s win bagging an impressive 5wkt haul.