Two really promising and young teams Prime Group Cricket Club and Dadar Cricket Club took on each other at the iconic Western Railway Cross Maidan where talented cricketers grind day in and day out. Prime Group winning the toss elected to bat first with a confident top order in their side.
Batting first, Prime Group were off to a flying start despite losing their opener Sameer Dighe for a duck. Opener Vivek Yadav & Dinesh Gurani who came at no.3 ressurected the innings back as both the players smashed fantastic half centuries while also giving a solid 120run stand between them. Vivek who scored 66 off 91balls opening the innings smashed 8fours and a six while Dinesh Gurani on the other hand was really impressive with his attacking strokeplay hitting a 45ball 58 laced with 5fours and 3sixes. Despite a solid start by these two, the batting line up below them collapsed as off-spinner Soham Rane came up with great display of bowling. Soham came up with a 5wkt haul with impressive bowling figures of 5/21 in 8.3overs making him one of the standout bowlers in the entire match with his wily spin. On the back of Soham’s 5wkt haul, Prime Group CC from 124/2 were 213all out in 40.3 overs.
Despite a great bowling effort by Soham and Co. Dadar CC choked out while chasing getting all out for just 89runs all-rounder Soham Rane’s 20 at no.3 being the highest score in their innings. It was a collectively tight bowling perfomance from Prime Group bowlers as Rohit Phatak, Dinesh Gurani, Arvind Yadav and Ankit Bhave scalping 2wkts each.
It was a great match with some great performances where in Prime Group CC won the match by 124runs while Soham who was from the losing team won the hearts of many. Dinesh Gurani’s all-round show and Vivek Yadav’s solid half centuries played a crucial role in the win.
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A grueling season of March is considered the most intenseful, enjoyable and prolific season in Mumbai and Indian Cricket. Maximum tournaments right from the grassroot level to International level are played all over the nation.
Hundreds of matches are played with all the grounds jampacked and booked in this month and definitely when there are this many matches being played, there will be a lot of performances and hence being in the Top 5 Knock holders in Mumbai Cricket for the month of March is definitely a matter of pride to get featured in. It was as always difficult to shortlist out of hundreds of performances but these were surely the players who won the hearts!
Joint 5th– Aditya Shemadkar (LHB)-19ball 50 (fastest 50 of Mumbai Junior Shield ‘18)
Aditya Shemadkar is one such all-rounder who has had a great season. He has also smashed a hundred in the same tournament but this knock was all the more special as it was the fastest fifty in the Mumbai Junior Shield Tournament. The attacking all-rounder smashed 6sixes while only a boundary to push New Hind’s total to 268/7 in 45overs. Eventually New Hind won that match by 148runs Aditya’s 19ball 53 was a treat to the eyes too!
5th– Sujit Nayak (LHB)-99* in Mumbai T20 Premier League 2018
Played at Wankhede stadium, Sujit makes it to no.5 and why not when he registered the highest score of this year’s Mumbai T20 Premier league. Sobo supersonics batting first against Arcs Andheri were off to a flying start and Attacking all-rounder Sujit Nayak who is known for his firebrand batting this time pounced on the momentum left behind by the openers as he spelled carnage over the Arcs Andheri bowlers going on to smash a 42ball entertaining 99*. Sujit fell just one run short of what could have been the 1st ton of MPL. Sujit literally took on the bowlers and lit every corner of the ground with as many as 6fours and 9big sixes much to the entertainment of his teammates and the spectators alike. Sobo Supersonics reached a massive total of 236/3 in 20 overs on the back of his superlative innings & eventually won that match by 78runs and Sujit was declared ‘man of the match’
4th-Yogesh Takawale-140* off 115balls (RHB), Young Comrade Shield ‘18
Played at the DY Patil Ground between Mumbai Police and DY Patil, Mumbai Police won the toss and elected to field first. Maybe they were not aware how strong DY Patil’s batting line-up is as DY Patil showed them their might by notching up 528/9 in mere 69overs. Yogesh Takawale was the highest scorer for DY Patil hitting a superlative 140*off just 115balls smashing 9fours and 4sixes while also stitching a 222run stand with Sarvesh Damle. It was on the back of experienced Yogesh Takawale, DY Patil won the match by a big margin of 166runs while defending their massive total.
3rd-Ajinkya Patil-124 off 54 (RHB), Dreamz T20 Tournament ‘18
Played between Beranard Shipping and WNS at the MB Union Sports Ground, Bernard Shipping made WNS to bat first and opening the innings- Ajinkya smashed a superlative 124 off mere 54balls wherein no bowler was spared in his onslaught. Ajinkya set the ground on fire hitting 7sixes and 7boundaries to enthrall his team mates as well as the spectators with the fastest Dreamz T20 hundred of this season. Ajinkya smashed some really good cricketing shots and was impressive which pushed his team total to a massive 277/4 in 20overs. Eventually, WNS won the match by a big margin of 195runs in a T20 match which itself is a record and opener Ajinkya was declared ‘man of the match’ for his blazing knock of 124.
2nd– Nirav Bheda (RHB)-91* off 63balls, Gannon Dunkerley T20 Trophy ‘18
Played at the Brabourne Stadium, this knock by Nirav reminded us of Dhoni and Michael Bevan as they both were the original master of chases. Nirav just did a similar thing playing for Osians cc vs CCI in the Gannon Dunkerley Clash. Osian’s electing to bowl first restricted CCI to 142 and while chasing 143, Osians were struggling badly at 24/3 and 59/5 at one point until their talented middle order batsman Nirav Bheda came in and played a gem of a knock. Nirav went on to score a thumping 63ball 91* which included 9fours and a six to take his team towards the victory line from nowhere. It was a really hard fought knock wherein he ran for almost 60% of his runs single handedly steering Osians to a win. Nirav kept on frustrating the opposition bowlers as he just kept on taking those ones and twos not allowing the fielders or any bowlers to rest.
& Finally the No.1
1st-Suryakumar Yadav(RHB)- 90* off 42balls, In the Finals of Mumbai Premier League ‘18
The bigboy of Mumbai cricket and the most talented name doing the rounds-Suryakumar who bashed bravo recently playing for Mumbai Indians a few days ago did a similar thing and that too in the high pressure finals vs Shivaji Park Lions at the Wankhede Stadium.
Shivaji Park Lions decision to bowl first looked spot on at one point when Mumbai North East suffered a top order collapse struggling at 16/4 & 34/5 in a finals game. Most of the cricketing pundits had given up and put their bets on Shivaji Park Lions clinching an easy win but that was not the fact as captain Suryakumar Yadav who came at no.7 played a mesmerizing knock rescuing Mumbai North East from a low total. Surya went on to score a magnetizing 90* off mere 42deliveries smashing 7fours and 7sixes. Surya anchored the team like how usually Dhoni does down the order as he literally kept on smashing the bowlers out of the park without worrying much or taking any pressure on himself. Surya showcased how he can deliver under intense pressure games while also showed how powerful his reflexes are while he got fantastic support from Parikshit Valsangkar too who smashed a 49ball 59* assisting Surya in a match winning 84ball 148 run stand taking the team total to 182/5 in 20 overs.
Also the highlight of his blazing innings was the penultimate 20th over where he thrashed Roystan Dias for 24runs ending the innings in supreme style and domination!
It was on the back of his fantastic knock Mumbai North East won the finals by 3runs and skipper Surya who was declared ‘man of the match’ led from the front as a skipper.
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The tournament is going in full flow with some nail biting performances and exciting matches while Titans Cricket Academy team is looking really impressive with great wins so far in the tournament.
In the 1st match between Titans and Mumbai Sporting, Titans batting first made a very impressive total of 235/7 as Sharvay played an impressive knock of 64runs while he also got good support from Akash Jangid who scored 42. Both the boys looked really impressive with the bat smashing some great shots. From the opposite team, Mahesh was the pick of the bowler taking 4/22 while Bhavesh taking 2/37 with the ball. Defending a total of 236, Titans bundled out Mumbai Sporting team to a mere 41runs with Kunal and Vishal engaging in fabulous bowling taking 3/3 each. It was a dominating win for Titans where Sharvay topscored with the bat while Kunal and Vishal did amazing bowling. Also Sharayu’s last 2 knocks were of 64 in 46balls and 145*of 81balls in Singhania trophy.
In the 2nd match between the same team, Mumbai Cricket Academy and Titans Cricket Academy, Mumbai Cricket Academy batting first scored 107runs all out with Omkar More and Nitesh Singh chipping in with 20’s. Akash Jangid and Shiv Desmukh were fantastic with the ball taking 4/11 and 3/14 respectively. In reply, Titans Cricket Academy chased down the score with ease winning the match by 7wkts where in Aman Jain top scoring 57*.
In the 3rd match between Titans CA and Boys CC, Titans CC won the toss and elected to bat first making a decent total of 198/10 in 38 overs. Sharvay keskar continued his terrific form with the bat smashing his 2nd half century in 3matches making a solid 56 off 65balls (9fours). Defending a total of 199, Titans once again bowled well bundling out Boys CC to just 99runs all out. Talented bowler Shantanu Kadam was the pick of the bowler coming up with amazing bowling figures of 4/6 in 4.1 overs while Yash bagging 2wkts. Titans won the match by 99runs as Shantanu was declared ‘man of the match’
Titans are on a winning streak and looks like a tough team to beat. It will be exciting to see the all important finals on 12th of April, 2018.
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It was a great tournament which witnessed some wonderful performances and some really close matches. After a consistent show throughout the tournament, two of the best teams Abbott Healthcare and Willis Towers Watson took on each other for the all important finals where in Abbott Healthcare won the toss and elected to bat first.
Abbott Healthcare batting first managed to make a decent total of 150/5 in 20 overs despite a shaky start by the top order. Shantanu Chaudhary who came at no.4 ressurected the innings back with a match winning knock of 60runs in mere 40balls hitting 6fours and 3sixes while Nikhil remaining unbeaten with 25*. Shantanu Chaudhary was really impressive and was hitting the ball sweetly pushing the team total to a respectable one.
Defending a target of 150, it’s not the easiest of totals but is surely chaseable if batted well. However, Abbott bowlers did a fantastic job of bowling tight with almost everyone chipping in with wickets. Sandesh Bhoir was the pick of the bowlers being the most impressive of the lot while Shantanu Chaudhary(2/12) and Sandesh Angare(2/28) also chipping in with wickets.
Abbott team wins the all important finals on the back of excellent bowling by the bowlers and Shantanu’s all-round brilliance.
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Played at the Karnatak Cross Maidan, two really promising teams namely Orange and Lintas took on each other where in Lintas won the toss and elected to bat first on a track which had due for the bowlers.
Lintas batting first were in for a shock as they were reduced to a paltry score of 89runs all out in 17.1 overs. None of the Lintas batsmen were able to make much of an impact with opener Amit’s 21 being the highest score in their innings. The major reason for their batting collapse was Orange’s experienced right arm off-spinner Shoaib Sayyed as he came up with one of the most impressive T20 spells in the recent times. Shoaib’s bowling figures read 5/11 in 3overs wherein kept on giving breakthroughs while Nitin D also bowled well taking 3/15 in 3.1 overs.
Chasing 90runs in a T20 match is a mere formality as Orange Team chased down the score in 11.2 overs for the loss off just 3wkts. Openers Shreyas Rao and Nishant K gave a good start with their aggressive 30’s as Orange team won the match comfortably by 7wkts.
It was a match where Orange players dominated right from the start while Shoaib Sayyed was declared ‘man of the match’ for his terrific 5wk haul.
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It was the all important finals of the 11th edition of the Prabodhan MumbaI T20 tournament finals between Dadar Union and Payyade Sports Club where in Dadar Union won the toss and elected to bat first on the back of their strong batting line up to make a big total.
Their decision to bat first was spot on as Dadar Union made a handsome total of 217/7 in 20 overs on the back of Divyansh Saxena’s blistering knock. Divyansh smashed 77 off mere 39deliveries hitting 9 massive sixes at a strikerate of almost 200 to change the script of the game as well as momentum in his team’s favor. What’s more Divyansh also stitched a crucial 95run stand with veteran cricketer Dinesh Salunkhe which further boosted their team total. It was an enterprising knock where Divyansh displayed what he is capable of in every format of the game-be it T20, One Dayers or Tests. Sairaj Patil also played a crucial hand smashing a handy 36.
Defending a total of 218, Payyade SC gave a supreme tough fight as they attacked and gave their best till the very end. Gaurav Jathar(42) and Harsh Tank(39) looked threatening at one point but eventually the bowlers covered it up with their tight bowling restricting Payyade SC to 202/9 in 20 overs where in Khizer Dafedar was impressive with the ball this time taking 3wkts.
Dadar Union won the finals of the tournament and lift the prestigious Prabodhan title trophy while Divyansh Saxena was declared ‘man of the match’ for his blazing innings of 77.
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There are players who just sweep you of your feet with their brilliance, they make you go in awe of them. Name Mccullum, Gayle, Afridi, Maxwell and so many more names. One knock and they become an overnight star and make the match win single handedly. Similar fate happened with this young prodigy Sawraj Durve who enthralled everyone with his enterprising batting skills.
Played between National High School and S.E.S at the Singhania School Ground for the Singhania Trophy, N.H won the toss and elected to bat first with an aim of playing attacking cricket and making a big total. N.H batting first made a very decent total 197 all out in 35overs. The top order collapsed but it was Pratham and Pratik top scoring with 52 & 32runs respectively at the middle order. From SES, Shreyas was excellent with the ball bagging 4wkts while Bhushan taking 3wkts alongwith Sawraj chipping in with one wicket.
Chasing 198 in 35 overs is definitely a task but Sarwaj Durve who opened the innings set the ground on fire with his blazing batting. Sawraj literally pounced upon every bowler and took on the opposition with pure dominance smashing 97 off mere 32balls hitting 10fours and 8sixes at a strike rate of almost 300! Sawraj’s power hitting and timing was really impressive and he changed the momentum in his team’s favor as SES won the match by 4wkts and as many as 12.1 overs to spare.
Had Atharva reached his hundred in 33balls, he would have broken the record of Maulik Mehta’s fastest hundred in Mumbai cricket off 34balls and could have become the new record holder. However, it was a innings of pure brilliance and more knocks can be expected from him in the coming days!
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Played between Jolly Brothers SC and Garware CH, it was a match between two promising teams at the United Cricketers ground where in Jolly Brothers CC won the toss and elected to field first as the wicket had assistance for the bowlers.
Garware boys made to bat first were off to a horrendous start with their scores reading 36/4 but in came the talented Prathamesh at no.5 and he resurrected the innings back. Prathamesh Patel brought his team back into the game and played a knock like VVS Laxman scoring a solid 116* off 134balls (9fours , 3sixes) while he also got great support from Irfan Khan at no.8 who scored a very quick and an impressive 78* off just 52balls smashing 9fours and sixes. Both the boys stitched an unbeaten 142 run stand taking their team total from 34/4 to 297/6 in 45overs.
Chasing 298 in 45 overs is always difficult and Garware Club bowlers did an excellent job and especially Himanshu Somthalia and Umesh Gothkindkar who bagged 4 and 3wkts respectively. Both the left arm spinners wrecked havoc over the opposition with timely breakthroughs bundling out Jolly Brothers CC to just 108runs all out.
Garware Club House won the match by a great margin of 199runs on the back of great batting by Prathamesh and Irfan while tight bowling by Himanshu and Umesh also played a crucial role in the win.
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To be a part of a history is a good thing, to be a part of a record is another good thing but Morarji Veljee Team must have been surely not pleased to find themselves as the team to get all out for the lowest total in Kanga Cricket.
Played between Morarji Veljee Boys and Dilip Vengsarkar Foundation at the Dilip Vengsarkar Cricket Academy, Dilip Vengsarkar skipper won the toss and elected to field first as the wicket had some due for the bowlers. Their decision to bowl first was seemingly accurate as Morarjee Veljee team in an embarrassment of sorts were bundled out for 23runs all out in 15.1 overs. Left arm fast bowler Mahesh Jadhav spelled trouble for them as he came up with amazing bowling figures of 6/11 in 8overs with 4maidens. Mahesh bowled in the right areas with immaculate line and length which reaped rewards for him as well as his team striking in almost every over. Left-arm spinner Prathamesh Goad was equally impressive taking 3/12 in 7.1 overs with 2 maidens. Mahesh simply castled the batsman while he got good support from Prathamesh as both the bowlers ripped apart the batting line up of Morarji team.
Eventually, Dilip Vengsarkar Openers chased it down in 8.5 overs as they won the match with clean whitewash by 10wkts.
It was a unlikely record created in that match with the lowest total recorded on the back of terrific bowling by Mahesh and Prathamesh.
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Played at PJ Hindu Gymkhana ground, NSCI (National Sports Club of India) and Osians Cricket Club took on each other for a crucial T20 clash where in NSCI won the toss and elected to bat first with an aim of making a big target of 170-180+ and put the opposition team under pressure.
However, NSCI were in for a shock as their decision to bat first did not prove to be spot on. NSCI were bundled out for 116runs all out in 16.4 overs where in not a single batsman managed to make much of an impact apart from their opener Kamran Ahmed who top scored with a quick 28ball 48 at the top of the order. Paras Zaveri with 26 runs was the 2nd highest scorer as Osians bowlers really bowled tight and took wickets at regular intervals. Aditya Singh with 4/16 in 4overs was excellent with the ball being the pick of the bowlers while quickster Parth Tolia and Harsh Dhadda taking 2wkts each to make it a collectively good bowling perfomance. Aditya was particularly impressive with the ball as he not only kept on troubling the batsman with good line and length but was also thoroughly economical.
Chasing a mere 117, openers Vishal Shah and Digvijay Kathiwada sealed the chase in utmost style with both the batsman smashing fifties. While Digvijyay scored 52 off 38balls (8fours) it was Vishal who took on the bowlers with pure dominance smashing 52 off just 28balls which had 8fours and 1six. Eventually Osians CC won the match by 7wkts in mere 12.3 overs with as many as 7.3 overs to spare.
It was once again Osians CC showing their might as a team while Aditya Singh who bowled a fantastic match winning bowling spell was declared ‘man of the match’
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