For a young prodigy to deliver in the finals which is full of pressure takes a lot to perform and it certainly tests your skills, resistance level and patience to perform at crunch situations and Times Shield is one such prestigious tournament where teams from different corners of Mumbai come and give their best. It also provides a platform to showcase your skills and get noticed and when you are playing in the finals of such tournament, it is itself a success and a big deal for youngsters like Atharva who delivered with flying colors in the finals.
The finals was played at the MIG CC, Cross Maidan where in Nanavati who have performed brilliantly throughout the tournament had to take on the promising team of Route Mobile. Route Mobile who were batting first were reduced to just 213runs all out in 60.3 overs as Nanavati bowlers did a very nice job. Route Batsman got off to starts but they were not able to convert it into big scores which eventually made them all out for a low total. From Route Mobile, their no.3 batsman Saeed Shaikh was the highest scorer with a hard fought 68 off 124balls. Left-arm spinner Atharva Ankolekar was the pick of the bowler taking 4/55 while Ashish G and Rahul Sawant also bowled well.
Chasing 214, Nanavati boys ensured they chased it down successfully despite a patchy start when they were struggling at 39/4 at one point. However, their all-rounder Atharva Ankolekar top scored with the bat scoring 73* off 135balls(7fours) which was purely an anchoring knock steering the chase. Bhushan Shinde also showed his experience with the bat as he also came with a splendid knock of 56 off 79balls and stitching a 104run stand with Atharva. Eventually, Pratik Panade gave the finishing touch to the chase with his 40* supporting Atharva to win the match by 4wkts.
Team Nanavati lift the Times Shield ‘C’ Div Trophy in a commanding manner and it was surely Atharva who stood out with his all-round brilliance while the entire team including Bhushan Shinde and Pratik Panade gave crucial contributions.
CRICKETGRAPH
Played at the Police Gymkhana Ground, it was the all important finale of the Pulse Tournament where in Reliance and RBL Bank took on each other for a knockout where in RBL who won the toss elected to bat first with an aim of making a big target in the 1st innings.
However, their decision to bat first seemed to be a bit risky as RBL only managed to score a average total of 125/6 in 20 overs which is definitely not the best of the totals too defend. Opener Ravi Parmar played a valiant knock of 68 in 61balls (3fours, 4sixes) as he was the lone warrior from RBL. The bowlers really bowled tight not allowing anyone to score runs freely. From Reliance, Chetan Suvarma was the pick of the bowlers taking 3/31 in 4overs while the rest of the bowlers also gave a good support.
Chasing 126 in a T20 and that too in the finals is not something Reliance need to worry about. Reliance’s opener Ravi Vishwakarma anchored the chase with a quick 52* coming off just 30balls to take the game away from RBL’s hands. Ravi just dealt in boundaries as he smashed 10fours in his match winning half century. Navin Patil also scored a quick 32 consisting of 5fours and 1six.
Eventually, Reliance completed the chase in mere 11.4 overs and won the match by 7wkts. Team Reliance win the all important finals and lift the trophy while Ravindra Vishwakarma was adjudged ‘man of the match’
CRICKETGRAPH
Two really promising teams namely Anushakti Nagar CC and K.R.P XI took on each other at the MB Union, Cross Maidan where in Anushakti Nagar CC won the toss and elected to bat first as the wicket had something for the batsman to make a big total and put KRP XI under pressure.
Batting first, Anushakti Nagar CC boys were bundled out for 159/10 in 44 overs as hardly any batsman succeeded in converting their starts to a big total with Darshan Adarkar at no.5 top scoring with 35runs. KRP XI bowlers did an excellent job with the ball with Prathamesh Golatkar being the pick of the bowler with 4/29 in 9overs (1maiden). Prathamesh who is an experienced left arm spinner ensured he bowled tight in the right areas which reaped rewards for him as well as his team. He also got good support from off-spinner Sandeep Naik who took 3/27 in 9overs and Sanket Yashwante who took 2/25 in 9overs. The spinners did an excellent job as all the three bowled in tandem.
Chasing 160, KRP XI were at one point 72/4 with Tushar Tiwari scoring 33 of them opening the innings but it was their all-rounder Prathamesh Golatkar came up with a crucial 47 off just 38balls which pushed his team towards a successful chase. Prathamesh smashed 5fours and 2sixes which brought his team back into the game while Jayesh Mohite finished off the chase with an unbeaten 29*.
KRP XI won the match by 4wkts and it was purely a great team perfomance put by all of them while Prathamesh stood out with his all-round show.
CRICKETGRAPH
WNS & Viacom 18 took on each other for the all important finals at the MB Union, Cross Maidan where in Viacom 18 won the toss and elected to bat first with an aim of making a big 1st innings total to put the opposition under pressure.
However, Viacom 18 did not manage to make much of an impact batting first as they were restricted to just 116 runs all out in 18.5 overs. The bowlers did an excellent job and especially Harshad Mahulkar and Ajinkya D who took 7wkts between themselves. Harshad was spot on with the ball bowling in the right areas coming up with excellent bowling figures of 4/14 in 2.5overs. Ajinky was equally impressive taking 3/28 in 4overs. WNS bowlers did not allow anyone to score runs freely neither did they allow anyone to settle in.
Chasing 117 was a mere formality for the promising WNS team as they chased down the score in mere 14.2 overs. WNS finished of the chase with 117/4 with 5.4 overs to spare as they won the finals in a commanding manner by 6wkts.
It was a match dominated by WNS right from the start where in all the boys contributed in their capacity while Harshad stood out with his match-winning spell which also earned him ‘man of the match’
CRICKETGRAPH
Played at the Air India Ground, Kalina, this time it was the all important finale of the tournament where in L&t and Intelenet who have given their best throughout the tournament took on each other for a final knockout where in L&T won the toss and elected to field first with an aim of restricting the strong batting line up of Intelenet to a low total.
However, Intelenet hardly looked affected after being made to bat first as they notched up a big total of 173/3 in 15overs. Talented Jiniv Joshi who has scored some of the fastest hundreds recently in club cricket ensured that such an important game was taken care of with his blazing knock of 78runs in 34balls smashing 7fours and 4sixes. Apart from him, Neil Narvekar was equally destructive with the bat hitting 78runs in mere 30balls smashing 4fours and 7sixes to take the game away from the opposition. Both the boys stitched a match winning partnership while enthralling the crowd with their power hitting. What’s more all-rounder Rakesh Naik(20*off 9balls) and Kalpesh Sawant (28*) gave the finishing touch taking the team total to a big one. Delivering in the finals requires a lot of character and ability to soak up the pressure and Jiniv & Neil perfectly nailed it with their brutal batting.
Defending a behemoth total of 174 in mere 90balls, the pressure was on L&T to deliver. However, Rakesh Naik’s brilliant bowling spell of 4/17 in 3overs ensured that the opposition does not even come close to their team’s total. Rakesh has been bowling with great consistency and once again he rose his stake as one of the best utility all-rounders to have in the side. The rest of the bowlers were also equally supportive as L&T managed to score only 118/7 in 15overs.
This new format of tournament has been quite a success & it was a great team perfomance by the Intelenet Boys in the finals where in Neil and Jiniv stood out with the bat while Rakesh delivered an all-round contribution. Jiniv who has been in his purple patch was also declared ‘man of the series’ as well as the “Best batsman of the tournament”.
CRICKETGRAPH
Played between two really talented teams namely Young Association and Aarey Cricket Club at the Western Railways,Cross Maidan, it was Young Association who won the toss and elected to bat first as the wicket had something for the batsman to make a decent enough total.
Young Association CC were however off to a patchy start with their openers not able to give a flying start and their team struggling at 27/3 at one point. However, Harsh Dodia and the left-handed Shlok utkar gave crucial contributions which took their team total to a respectable one. While Harsh scored 33, Shlok top scored with 44 off 59balls smashing 2fours and 2sixes. The rest of the batsman failed to make much of an impact as Young Association were not able to make a big total batting first. From the bowlers, medium pacer Padmanabhan C was the pick of the bowlers taking 3/34 while Anand Kumbhar and Akshad taking 2wkts each.
Chasing 185 in always an achievable target when you have 45overs in hand and the pressure was on Young Association rather than Aarey CC to restrict them and make the chase a bit tough. Shlok Utkar who top scored with 44 also bamboozled the batsman with his right arm leg spin coming up with a brilliant match winning bowling spell of 5/37 in 9overs which restricted Aarey CC to 138runs all-out in 35overs. Shlok bowled really well in the right areas troubling the batsman which fetched results for him as well as his team. Balwant D was also quite handy taking 2wkts.
Eventually, Young Association boys clinched an easy win by 45runs on the back of Shlok’s all-round show where in he completely stood out in the match.
CRICKETGRAPH
Played at the Century-Oval Maidan, it was an exciting clash between Mumbai Port Trust “B” and Mahindra Logistics where in Mahindra Logistics batted first on a track which has equal amount of support for the batsman as well as the bowlers.
Batting first, Mahindra Logistics notched up a very decent total of 151/9 in 20 overs which is always a defendable total. Even though the openers fell early but Ankit Juvekar and Vedant Ingle scored a handy 37 and 48 respectively which pushed their team towards a healthy total. The bowlers did a nice job with Siddhant, Sunil and Sarvesh taking 2 wickets each.
Chasing 152, Mumbai Port Trust chased really well with Gajendra Kohachade smashing an unbeaten 55* which almost did the job for his team. But in a twist to the tale, the last over was super exciting as the match remained a thriller till the last ball with Mumbai Port Trust eventually managing to equal the score which resulted in a draw.
As per the rules a super over match was held between both the teams where in Mumbai Port Trust smashed 16runs in one over batting first. With just 4runs in the first 2balls which chasing 17, the onus was on Rohan Kalbhor to help his team clinch a thriller of a win. Just like what DK did for India a few days ago, in an entertainment of sorts Rohan smashed 16runs in the last 4balls which helped Mahindra Logistics help win an exciting super over.
Mahindra Logistics won the match on the basis of super over win and it was certainly Rohan who became an instant star in the tournament with his brilliant hitting in the last 4balls of the superover.
CRICKETGRAPH
Played at the Oval Maidan, it was the all important finale between DTDC and IDBI where in DTDC won the toss and elected to bat first on the back of their strong batting line up.
Batting first, DTDC scored 147/5 in 20 overs on the back of their openers Sunny G (38) and Sushant Kadam. Both the openers stitched an 84run stand between them in 10overs which created a positive momentum. Opener Sushant scored 66 off mere 35deliveries smashing 6fours and 3sixes. From IDBI, it was Tarun who was the pick of the bowler taking 3wkts in 4overs.
Chasing 148 which is a very competitive total in a finals is always going to be a pressure situation. IDBI however received a tough fight from the DTDC bowlers as IDBI were restricted to just 135/7 in 20 overs. IDBI’s most prolific batsman Vivek Patel who has been scoring runs consistently top scored with a fighting 58* off 40balls. Vivek who gave his best while chasing smashed 4fours and a six in his unbeaten knock but he lacked support from the other end.
DTDC won the finals of the tournament lifting the title where in Sushant Kadam was declared ‘man of the match’ while Vivek Patel continues to impress with his elegant knocks.
CRICKETGRAPH
It was the all important semi finals of the Gannon Dunkerley Tournament 2018 between two promising teams namely Sony TV and Intelenet where in Intelenet won the toss and elected to bat first with their strong batting line up.
Intelenet opening the innings were off to a flying start as their openers gave a quick cameos while their star all-rounder Rakesh Naik top scored with a 22ball 36* which included 3big sixes to take the team total to 129/6 in 15overs. The rest of the batsman also contributed well with their quick cameos which resulted in a healthy team total. From the bowlers, it was Vishal who did a good job being the pick of the bowler taking 3wkts.
Chasing 130 in 15overs is very difficult and a pressure situation but Sony TV gave a tough fight but they eventually fell short of 20runs as they were all out for 110. The bowlers did an excellent job restricting the batsman as they took wickets at regular intervals. Rakesh Naik was also impressive with the ball taking 2/13 in 3overs making it a complete all-round show.
Rakesh Naik who had recently taken a 5wkt haul while had also scored a brilliant ton in Mumbai Junior Shield once again proved that he is an all-rounder to reckon with.
CRICKETGRAPH
Played at the Bombay Gymkhana ground, it was an exciting clash between Cricket Club of India and Bombay Gymkhana on its home turf where in CCI which has a promising batting line up elected to bat first.
However, batting first, CCI managed to score only 131/10 all out in 17.5 overs. Even though the top 3 batsman failed to give a good start, it was Sahil Purohit who rescued his innings with a 39ball 65 smashing 9fours and a six to take his team to a respectable total. Not a single batsman managed to convert their starts apart from Sahil who batted bravely. From the bowlers, it was Burzin Mehta who bowled an impressive spell taking 3/16 in 4 overs becoming the pick of the bowlers while Burzin Dubash and all-rounder Sohrab took 2wkts each in a collectively good bowling perfomance by Bombay Gymkhana.
Chasing 132, it was not required to start hitting every ball out of the park, just taking single till the end would help them clinch a win and Sohrab Khushrushahi who opened the innings scored a 62ball unbeaten 66* smashing 8fours and anchoring the chase perfectly while he also got good support from Armaan Jain who scored 39 off 33balls. Sohrab looked exquisite in his stay at the crease which included some really good shots.
Bombay Gymkhana eventually won the match by 7wkts and an over to chase where in Sohrab who took 2wkts while also anchored the chase was declared ‘man of the match’
CRICKETGRAPH