Kanga Knockout matches this summer have been simply fantastic with some great individual performances and nail biting matches. Kanga leagues over the years have been a breeding ground in cricket and it’s a platform which not only gives a platform for players to perform but it also hones the skills of every cricketer under tough pitch conditions. Here are the latest updates-
Mulund Challengers CC vs Bhatia CC
Played at the BMC Sports Club, Mulund Challengers CC won the toss and elected to bat first. The top order suffered a collapse apart from Farhan Shaikh’s 46 but it was Rahul Kanojiya at no.7 who scored a match winning knock of 54 off 57balls smashing 7fours and pushing the team total to 244/10 in 37.5 overs. In reply, Bhatia CC were bundled out for 134runs where in R Vijay and Chirag Sachdev took 3 and 2wkts each. Mulund Challengers CC won the match and it was surely Rahul who stood out in the matcg with his solid half century.
ERRANT Cricket vs Youth’s Own Union CC
Played at the Cross Maidan, Youth’s own union CC won the toss and elected to field first. Their decisions seemed to be spot on as they restricted Errant Cricket Team to just 116runs all out. Off-spinner Vishal Kamble bowled a fantastic match winning spell taking 4/25 in 9 overs. He also got good support from left arm spinner Subesh Singh who took 2/10 in 9overs with 4 maidens. Both the bowlers were impressive and eventuallu Youth’s own union CC won the match on the back of their skipper Nikhil Bare’s unbeaten half century off 75balls (8fours).
Young Men Muslim Association vs Young Association Cricket Club
Played at the Karnatak Cross Maidan, Young Men Muslim Assn. batting first made 102/10 in 26.5 overs on the back of terrific bowling by the bowlers. Left arm spinner Suraj Solanki with 3/15 was impressive being the pick of the bowlers while Karan Hatkar who opened the innings while chasing for Young Association CC took on the bowlers with his attacking batting giving a great start with a 24ball 41 smashing 7fours and a six. Eventually Young Association CC won the match by 7wkts in mere 14.3 overs on the back of his blazing 41.
United CC vs Swatantra CC
Swatantra CC batting first were all out for 145runs on the back of great bowling by Shubham Gaikwad. Shubham bowled at impressive line and length taking 4wkts with the ball as gave crucial breakthroughs. Chasing 146, United CC won the match by 3wkts as they chased down the score in 33.1 overs on the back of Vishal Durge’s match winning 46balls 56 which had 7fours and 2sixes. United CC who were 77/5 at one point won the match on the back of Vishal’s match winning half century!
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The last week of the Friendship Cup Tournament was nothing less than a roller coaster ride with some amazing matches and some great individual performances which won the hearts of many. Here are the latest updates from the Friendship Cup Tournament ’18
FRIENDSHIP TROPHY 2018
APRIL 8, SUNDAY MATCHES
1st Match – 9 AM – 11.30 AM – FCC PHANTOMS vs WARRIORS CC
In the 1st match played at the Asahi Glass ltd, taloja, Warriors CC won the toss and elected to bat first. They did a good job batting first as they notched up 132/7 in 15overs which is a very good total. Opener Sameer chipped in with 34 while is was Rohit Shirgaonkar at no.3 who played a blazing knock of 46 off just 32balls which pushed the team towards a big score. In reply, FCC Phantoms were reduced to just 122/7 with Rugved top scoring with a valiant 49. Warriors CC won the match by 20runs and Rohit was certainly declared ‘man of the match’
MoM – Rohit Shirgaonkar
2nd Match – 11.45 AM – 2.15 PM – DATAFRIENDS vs CRICKET CLUB OF DOMBIVLI
In the 2nd match, CCD won the toss and elected to field first considering their previous win while chasing. Datafriends batting first made 115/7 in 15overs with Devendra being the pick of the bowlers with bowling figures of 3/22 in 3overs. CCD once again showed they are the master of chases as they successfully sealed the chase in 13.5 overs. Aniket Desai smashed a brutal 23ball 46 which had 3sixes and 2fours to change the game his CCD’s favor. It was on the back of his blazing 46, CCD won the match by 3wkts.
MoM – Aniket Desai
3rd Match – 3 PM – 5.30 PM – SIEMENS vs MULUND EXCEL
In the 3rd match at the same ground, Siemens won the toss and elected to bat first. Almost every batsman chipped in with quick contributions but it was Jayesh Khungar at no.3 who continued his good start and converted it into a solid half century smashing 60runs of 44balls which had 7fours and 2sixes. Simens reached a total of 150/5 in 15overs which is a great total to defend. Mulund Excel gave a tough fight managing to reach 131/6 but they eventually fell short by 19runs in a high scoring encounter. It was a entertaining match where in Jayesh was rightly declared ‘man of the match’
MOM – Jayesh Khungar
If last week’s matches are anything to go by, this weekend is going to be an exciting one too!
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Friendship Cup Cricket Tournament since years has been an able platform for cricketers to perform at their very best. Every weekend some exciting matches and individual performances are witnessed and here are some of the latest updates on the tournament.
FRIENDSHIP TROPHY 2018
1st Match- 9 AM – 11.30 AM -FCC SMASHERS vs CRICKET CLUB OF DOMBIVLI
Played at the Asahi Glass ltd. FCC smashers who have a good batting line up elected to bat first after winning the toss, Batting first, FCC made a decent total of 115/4 in 15 overs where the top order collapsed but Ashish at no.5 scored a fantastic 51 off 29balls(4fours,4sixes) to resurrect the innings. CCD bowlers did a good job with every bowler chipping in with wicket. Chasing 116, CCD won the match comfortably on the back of Santosh Gole’s blazing 21ball 43* which had 3fours and 3sixes which changed the script of the game. Eventually CCD won the match by 5wkts and Santosh was right declared man of the match.
MoM – Santosh Gole
2nd Match – 11.45 AM – 2.15 PM -SIEMENS vs WARRIORS CC
Played at the same ground, Warriors CC won the toss and elected to field first looking at CCD’s chasing perfomance. Warriors CC batting first made a very healthy total of 126/8 in 15 overs as Jayesh K at the middle order played a crucial hand with a quick 43. Defending a total of 126, Siemens almost clinched the victory line falling just 5runs short of what could have been a great win. However, Gurudas Bate’s match winning spell of 4/13 in 3 overs ensured his team Warriors CC were in the game and helped his team clinch a victory. Gurudas bowled really tight and was impressive which eventually helped him earn man of the match.
MoM – Gurudas Bate
3rd Match – 3 PM – 5.30 PM – SHM ULHASNAGAR vs INDIA FIRST INSURANCE
In the 3rd match played at evening on the same ground, IFI won the toss and elected to field first and little did they knew on the havoc which was about to hit them. SHM Ulhasnagar made a massive total of 169/6 in 15 overs with their top order batsman firing with quick 30’s while Sagar Matani at no.7 giving the finishing touch smashing an entertaining 46* off just 23balls which had 7fours and 2sixes. In reply, IFI were all out for 96runs where in every bowler bowled tight while also chipped in with wickets. All-rounder Sagar was also handy with the ball bagging 2wkts. SHM Ulhasnagar won the match by 73runs and Sagar was declared ‘man of the match’
MoM – Sagar Matani
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Played between two really promising teams namely ASF & Achievers, Achievers won the toss and elected to bowl first at the Bengal Cricket Club, Shivaji Park which had some due for the bowlers too trouble the batsman.
ASF team batting first made 234/9 in 40 overs which is a very decent total to defend. Despite a poor start by the openers, Musheer Khan at no.3 and Omar at no.4 played fighting knocks of 75 and 41 respectively. Musheer who faced 86balls smashed 6fours while Omar smashed 3fours in his 45ball knock. The bowlers did a nice job of bowling tight with Anurag and Anil being the pick of the bowlers taking 2wkts each.
Chasing 235 in 40 overs is not tough but not easy either if defended properly by the bowlers. ASF gave a good start removing two openers of Achievers but Hitesh who came at no.3 played a match winning knock of 88 off just 69balls smashing 7fours while he also got excellent support from Nihal Joshi who came at no.4. Nihal also scored 55 off 40balls which had 5fours in it. Both the batters looked terrific as they single handedly steered the chase. Mangesh remained unbeaten on 26* with Vishal (6*) sealing off the chase in 34.2 overs.
Achievers won the finals by 4wkts and lift the prestigious trophy on the back of Hitesh and Nihal. In the awards ceremony Sharvay who was literally a run machine for Titans was declared the ‘Best Batsman” while Vinod Bhanushali from ASF team was declared the ‘best bowler’ while 9yr old promising wicket keeper Abhigyan kunda from Asf team got the special award from Praveen tambe.
It was all in all a successful tournament with great individual performances and some nail biting matches while the tournament also gave youngsters a platform to perform!
Awards Ceremony- Kaustubh Pawar along with Pravin Tambe being the chief guest.
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Played between KPCA and Salgaonkar Cricket Academy at the Bengal Cricket Club, Shivaji Park, it was a crucial 40 over clash between two really promising teams where in Salgaonkar CA won the toss and elected to bat first on a dicey track.
Salgaonkar CA batting first made 203/8 in 40 overs which is a decent total but not an intimidating one if you have a strong batting line up to chase it down! None of the batsman converter their starts with Vrishin and Vaibhav at the middle order being the top scorers with their respective 30’s. From the bowlers, Yatin with 3/17 was impressive being the pick of the bowlers while Sankesh & Nawaz bagging two wickets each.
Chasing 204 in 240 deliveries is most of the times achievable and surely when you have attacking batsman like Sagar Shah at the middle order. Despite a sluggish start by KPCA at the top of the order, Sagar Shah who came at no.4 anchored the innings going to smash a brutal 113* off just 82balls smashing 15fours. Sagar who has already scored some stunning hundreds in T20 cricket showed that he can be a big asset in the longer format of the game too as he single handedly steered the chase with all-rounder Yatin remaining not out on 35* off 29balls.
KPCA won the match by 7wkts and Sagar Shah was declared man of the match for his crucial 113*. Yatin was also impressive in the match with 3wkts and 35*.
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Played at Payyade Cricket Ground in Kandivali, it was the all important finals between two really talented teams of Kandivali Cricket namely Halai Lohana Mahajan Mumbai and KSG Champions where in KSG Champions won the toss and elected to field first.
HLMM batting first made a decent total of 148/6 in 20overs where in despite a shaky start at the top of the order, Kushal Thakkar and Parth Rughani tried getting their team back into the game smashing 46 and 30* respectively. Kushal who smashed 46runs faced only 25balls smashing 5fours and 2sixes while Parth facing 21balls hitting 3fours and a six.
Chasing 149, KSG Champions were off to a solid start and Maulik Mehta who has certainly become one of the most feared batsmen in this tournament once again pounced on the good start left behind by the openers smashing a match winning 62* off 37balls(7fours,3sixes). Maulik dismantled the bowlers and changed the momentum immediately while Parth Mathuria also gave good support with his 22ball 30.
KSG Champions eventually won the game by 6wkts and 1.3overs to spare and Maulik was declared the ‘man of the match’. For obvious reasons, the attacking all-rounder was also declared the ‘best batsman in the tournament’
Maulik Mehta’s fantastic run in the KSG Tournament 2017-18
Matches-10
50’s-4
100’s-2
Batting Average-94.00
Runs-752-
Strike Rate-209.47
Boundaries- 88fours & 39sixes
Wkts-14
In T20’s-
Matches- 9
Runs-313
Average– 39.13
Boundaries-34fours and 15sixes
30’s-3
50’s-2
Strike Rate– 173.89
Wkts-6
What an all-rounder indeed- A total of 1065runs in 19matches at an average of 59.16 & a strike rate of 192.00 along with 20wkts!
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Played at the Sachin Tendulkar Gymkhana at Kandivali in Mumbai, it was the all important finals of the Mumbai Junior Shield Tournament 18 where so many promising teams grinded hard and gave their bets. Finally two of the most talented and toughest teams Union CA and Regal CC reached the finals after topping the table for the one last final clash.
Union Cricket Academy batting first were in for a shock as they were all out for just 114runs in the penultimate final game. None of the batsman managed to make much of an impact as the bowlers did a stupendous job with Nikhil Bhopnikar taking 3/35 in 9 overs, Saeed taking 2/33 in 9.1 overs while Nehal Shaikh bowling a impressive and economic spell of 2/5 in 7overs which included as many as 5maidens.
Chasing a total of 115 and that too in the finals of a game was seemingly difficult to defend for Union CA bowlers as Regal CC chased down the score with superlative ease winning the match by 6wkts. Nehal Shaikh who was the most impressive with the ball was also the one who took the responsibility of chasing on his shoulders with a match winning knock of 61 off 49balls(9fours) alongwith Arun Bobade’s 29.
The prestigious title of Mumbai junior Shield ’18 belonged to Regal CC as they won the finals while Nehal Shaikh was declared ‘man of the match”. In the awards ceremony- Nehal Shaikh was also declared the best batsman in the tournament while Nikhil Bhopnikar was adjudged the ‘best bowler” award.
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Played at the National Cricket Club, two really promising teams namely Brothers Cricket Club and Jaideep Cricket Club took on each other with Jaideep CC winning the toss and electing to bat first on a track which had some due for the bowlers too.
Their decision to bat first did not seem to be accurate as they were all out for 165runs in 42.2 overs which is definitely not the biggest of totals. Opener Swapnil Sawant and Aniket K were the highest scorers with their 30’s. Brothers CC bowled really well and especially their right arm medium pacer Aniket Maralkar who came up with impressive bowling figures of 4/39 in 8.2 overs. Aniket bowled with nice discipline alongwith good line and length which reaped rewards for him as well as his team. Experienced all-rounder Kishor Waghela, Balwant Dodake and Aagam Shah also gave good support scalping 2wkts each.
Chasing a total of 166, Brothers CC were off to a poor start with openers getting out early but no.3 batsman Haresh Dodia anchored the innings and stabilized the chase with a graceful knock of 71runs in 95balls smashing 8fours in it. All-rounder Kishor Waghela who came at no.4 just below him was in a different mood altogether as he looked in a hurry to finish off the chase quickly hitting a 25ball 41 with 6fours and a six. Eventually, Brothers CC won the match by 4wkts and it was a dominating perfomance from them where Aniket, Haresh and Kishor stood out with their individual performances.
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Played vs Bombay Gymkhana on their own turf, Bombay Gymkhana won the toss & decided to put PJ Hindu Gymkhana to bat first with an aim of restricting them to a low total.
However, PJ Hindu Gymkhana did a fairly decent job batting first notching up 156/4 in 20overs. The openers gave a decent start with Madhav Kotak smashing a solid 30 while it was the talented Megh Adhvaryu who has piled a lot of runs in the longer formats this season showing his skills in T20’s too smashing a superlative 50 off 36balls. It was a hard working innings which included lots of running between the wickets with only 4boundaries. Saurabh Bahutule who came at no.4 also batted well scoring 43runs off 34deliveries taking their team to cross the 150run mark.
Defending a total of 157 which is many a times chaseable, PJ Hindu Gymkhana did a terrific job with the ball as they restricted Bombay Gymkhana boys to a paltry total of 54runs all out in 13.2 overs. Paresh Shah (2/6 in 3overs) and Madhav Kotak(3/19 in 4overs) ripped apart the top order while Dwij Adhvaryu cleaned up the lower order with a match winning bowling spell of 4/14 in 3.2 overs. All the bowlers collectively bowled tight while taking wickets in almost every over which helped them win the match by 102runs.
PJ Hindu Gymkhana dominated right from the start while Madhav Kotak was declared ‘man of the match’ for his all-round show. It is always good to see two brothers playing together as Dwij and Megh were equally impressive in the match. Playing together for the same team, surely they must be getting a feeling of Flower brothers or the Pathan Brothers!
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Played between Mumbai police and Navi Mumbai at the Police Gymkhana Ground in Mumbai, it was the all exciting clash where in Greater Mumbai Police “A” won the toss and elected to bat first on a track which had support for the batsmen too.
Batting first, Navi Mumbai Police made a healthy total of 181/4 in 20 overs. The batters did a really good job with opener Ashish Mhatre, Amit and Ravi chipping in with quick 30’s to push the team total to a very competitive one. From Mumbai Police, Sudhakar Siddul was the pick of the bowlers taking 2/30 in 2.4 overs.
Chasing a 180+ total in a T20 game is always difficult and especially when one of your openers is out for a duck but solid opener Sameer Patil from the other played the anchor’s role to perfection smashing 61* off 54balls which had 5fours and lots of running between the wickets. What’s more he got fantastic support from the aggressive Rohan bhosale who came at no.3 to smash a brutal 72 off 43balls smashing 9fours and 2sixes. Rohan turned the tides with his blazing batting while also stitched a match winning 133run stand with Sameer which eventually helped Mumbai Police win the match by 8wkts and 1.4overs to spare.
Mumbai Police won the match in a commanding manner and it was definitely Sameer and Roshan who stood out in the match.
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