Taking into consideration various tournaments conducted all over Mumbai, the quality of the opposition, the intensity and the level of the game and the series, the wicket, the batting condition and match situation along with various other factors we at Cricketgraph come up with monthly rankings in batting, bowling and all-round performances in Mumbai.
The month of Feb which had big tournaments going on witnessed some really wonderful performances and it was difficult to shortlist and come into the top 5. In fact there were so many amazing performances even in the Top 5 Perfomances we could not hold ourselves but line-up 7 best batting knocks which stood out in Mumbai Cricket for the month of February 2018.
6th-Charu Todankar- 132 off 80balls (RHB), U/16 Future Star Trophy (Finals match)
Delivering in the finals under pressure situations is always tough but the young girl Charu Todankar showed real resilience and character smashing a superlative 132 which included 12fours and 7sixes which took her team Active Sports W.C.A to a big total of 261/8 in 42overs. SSCT on the other hand were all out for 149runs and Active Sports Women’s Cricket Academy won the finals lifting the trophy on the back of her blazing knock.
Joint 5th-Rohan Bhosale- 131 off 58balls, (RHB), Social Hero T20 Tournament ‘18
Playing at a strike rate of 260+, it was a pure treat for his team mates and spectators watching this talented batsman bat. Played between Ruparel College and Chetana College at the LIC cross maidan, Ruparel College’s decision to bat first was completely spot on as they managed to score 229/6 in 20 overs which is a very good score to defend in a T20. The major reason for such a big total was their opener Rohan Bhosale who spelled carnage over the bowlers smashing 131 off mere 58deliveries smashing 20fours and 5sixes. Playing at a strike rate of 226, Rohan did not spare a single bowler leaving behind his presence in almost every corner of the ground with his fours and sixes. In reply, Chetana college was all out for 93runs and Rohan who almost gave us a feeling of watching Afridi or Mccullum at the local level was declared ‘man of the match for that blazing ton.
5th– Suryakumar Yadav 134 off 85balls (RHB), Inter State One Day Tournament ‘18
One of the most talented prospects of Indian Cricket, Surya’s blazing 85ball 134*in the Inter State One Day Tournament which was fuelled with 11fours and 7sixes against Madhya Pradesh was a silent testimony of his abilities with the bat. The star player attacked the bowlers at a strike rate of 150+ which was a clear indicator of what could hit in the coming season of MPL as well as IPL. It was also on the back of his superlative 134* which helped Mumbai win the match by 74runs.
4th-Raunaq Sharma (RHB)- 178 off 141balls, Young Comrade Shield Tournament ‘18
It was a treat watching Raunaq score effortlessly yet being aggressive playing at a healthy strike rate. Played between Parsee Gymkhana and Islam Gymkhana at the PJ Hindu Gymkhana ground. Parsee Gymkhana elected to bat first. Even though they were off to a shaky start but all-rounder Raunaq Sharma who came in at no.3 played a gem of a knock smashing a superlative 178 off mere 141balls which took the game completely away from the opposition. Raunaq who smashed 21 fours and 7 sixes completely demolished the opposition bowlers with his counter attacking cricket stamping his class in almost every corner of the ground. The rest of the batsman played around him scoring 30”s and 40’s which took their team total to a healthy 369/10 in 69.1 overs. It was on the back of his elegant 178, Parsee Gymkhana won the match by87 runs as the equally strong Islam Gymkhana were all out for 282.
3-Ishan Mithbavkar- 125*(RHB), Chanawala Trophy 2018 (Finals)
It was the all important finals between Abbott CC and Omni CC where in Abbott CC batting first did a really good job notching up 262runs on the board in 40 overs for the loss of 5wkts. Abbott who did lose some early wickets got their innings back into the game as the talented middle order batsman Ishan Mithbavkar smashed a match winning 125 off 119balls which took the game away from the opposition. Ishan smashed 17fours and rotated the strike nicely while also engaged in a superb partnership with Shanatnu Chaudhary who scored 77 off just 59balls which took the team towards such a healthy target. Omni CC on the other hand were all out for 222 runs where in Abbott lifted the trophy and Ishan was rightly declared ‘man of the match for his super match winning ton.
2. Siddarth Chitnis (RHB)-123*off 98balls, Padmakar Talim Shield Semi-Finals
Four of the most prolific teams of Mumbai cricket clashed with each other to seal their spot in the finals. The 1st match was between MIG and Parkophene Cricketers at the Karnatak Sporting Association at Cross Maidan where in Parkophene Cricketers won the toss and elected to field first. MIG batting first hardly looked deterred as their top order chipped in with 30’s and 40’s but it was Siddarth Chitnis at the middler order coming at no.5 who saved the day. Right handed Siddarth smashed a superlative 123* off mere 98balls which took his team towards a very defendable total.
Siddarth delivered when it was needed and it speaks a lot about his cricketing character and resilience at the crease. Chitnis literally took on the bowlers smashing 9fours and 6sixes in his unbeaten knock which helped MIG post 289/7 in 45 overs. Chasing 290, Parkophene boys did experience the pressure of chasing at more than 7runs per over as they were all out for 217runs. Parkophene sealed their spot in the finals and it was on the back of Siddarth’s ton which did the job for his team.
& FINALLY THE NO.1
1. Atharva Sawant(RHB) -200 off 90balls, Singhania Tournament ‘18
The talent of Mumbai Cricket never fails to surprise us. Time and again gems are produced from young talented cricketers and it just renews the hope that Mumbai Cricket as well as Indian cricket is always going to be safe with a large pool of talent.
Played between two promising teams namely SVPT and BSMS at the Raymond Cricket ground. Saraswati English School team took the right decision to bat first as they made a mammoth total of 397/3 in mere 30 overs. Right-handed young prodigy Atharva Sawant who opened the innings took on the bowlers from the word go. The opposition bowlers were least aware about the carnage which was about to hit them as Atharva hardly spared any bowler attacking almost every ball which came by his way. Atharva who reached his hundred in mere 41deliveries converted his ton into a thumping double ton smashing 204* off just 90 deliveries in which he smashed 32fours and 6sixes which literally made everyone go in awe with this young lad.
The confidence at which he was batting and the way he was hitting the ball was surely an indicator of a very bright future ahead. BSMS school while chasing were bundled out for 64runs and Saraswati School fetched a big win by a margin of 334runs on the back of his ravishing double hundred.
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Played at the famed MIG CC Bandra where the likes of Rohit Sharma and Prithvi Shaw have trained a lot. It was a crucial finals encounter between Chandigarh and MP and that too on a women’s day which made the event all the more special. Chandigarh who have a solid top order batting line up once again elected to bat first as they have seen successful results so far on winning the toss and setting a target.
Batting first, it was again the Mrs. Consistent Divya Sharma top scoring the innings with a superlative 41 off 38balls(7fours). She as always looked confident smashing some really good shots while the girls from the other end were losing quick wickets. Reena Rani at the middle order also gave a crucial contribution chipping in with 25* off 26balls (5fours). Chandigarh girls eventually reached a defendable total of 128/7 in 20 overs in which Chetna Bairagi was the pick of the bowler taking 2/29 in 4 overs.
Chasing 129 under crunch situation of the finale against talented lot of bowlers is always difficult and MP did face the heat of chasing as Chandigarh’s medium pacer Jyoti Kumari wrecked havoc over the batsman coming up with stunning bowling figures of 4/4 in 3 overs. Jyoti was simply impressive with her line and length bowling real tight. The rest of the bowlers also supporter her really well with all-rounder Reena Rani also bagging 2wkts with the ball.
MP was all out for 87runs as Chandigarh lift the maiden title of Women’s Premier League ’18 winning the match by 41runs. Jyoti Kumari for her fabulous spell was declared ‘man of the match while Divya’s contribution in the series and skipper Mamta’s ton also played a major role in them winning the series.
It was a successful end to the tournament preceded by the presence of Smt. Amruta Fadnavis (Wife of chief minister of Mahrashtra, Nutan Gavaskar & Ajit Tendulkar amongst other dignitaries).
Speaking to Cricketgraph- Skipper Mamta said “it was because of our collective team perfomance where all the girls gave their best we won the finals, also our strategy of taking singles and two’s played proved to be a success”
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Played at the United Cricketers Cross Maidan, it was the all important clash between Union Cricket Club and Union C.A (Kalyan) where in Union C.A won the toss and elected to bowl first with an aim of restricting the opposition to a low total.
Batting first, United Cricket Club were all out for 127runs in 39.2 overs where in most of the batsman failed to convert their scores into 50’s or hundreds. Niranjan Paradkar who came in at no.4 was the highest scorer with 34 as the rest of the batsman struggled to sustain for a longer time at the crease. From Union CA, Parag Jadhav was the pick of the bowler taking 3/21 in 8 overs bowling in good line and length. The rest of the bowlers also did a collectively good job together wherein Bhavin Darji, Dhaval Khimane & Prasad Shingote took 2wickets each.
Chasing 128, Union CA chased down the score successfully scoring 129/4 in 30.2 overs. Openers Parag Jadhav who also took 3wkts and Rakesh Bhoir gave a flying start scoring 34 & 24 respectively. No.3 Parth Vithlani top scored with 37 which eventually pushed Union CA to a win.
It was a thumping Quarter-finals win for Union Cricket Academy where in the all the boys did a collectively good teamwork with Parag Jadhav standing out in the match with his all-round perfomance.
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Played at the Azad Maidan ground in Mumbai, two really promising teams namely Regal Cricket Club and S.K.P Atheltes where in Regal CC won the toss and elected to bat first looking at the pitch conditions which looked good to bat on.
Regal CC batting first did face some early jitters losing quick wickets at the top. However, Nehal Shaikh who came at no.4 ensured his team was back into the game on the back of his match winning 84 off 72balls (6fours, 3sixes). Nehal took on the bowlers and changed the momentum with his counter attacking cricket which included some really good shots. Nehal also received good support from Vinit Parab who came at no.5 smashing a crucial 48 off 34balls. It was the middle order which brought Regal CC back into the game as the team total reached 265/10 in 43.5 overs which is surely defendable. From the bowling side, Omkar Mandrekar was really impressive as he was the pick of the bowlers with 4/51 in 9 overs.
Defending a total of 266, Regal CC bowlers gave their best as they skittled out SKP boys to 166/all out in 29.1 overs. Nikhil Bhopnikar and the experienced Saeed Khot bowled really well taking 3wkts each which did the job for their team. Saeed with 3/40 and Nikhil with 3/57 were really impressive bowling in the right areas.
Regal CC won the Quarter finals by 99 runs and seal their spot in the semis where in it was a collective team perfomance from the boys.
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Played at the Shivaji Park, Dadar, Chandigarh took on the mighty Uttarakhand team where in Chandigarh on the back of their strong batting line up elected to bat first and make a big 1st innings target.
Their decision to bat first was quite spot on as they made a very big total of 183/3 in 20 overs where in the average total so far in the tournament has been around 120-130. Openers Divya Sharma and Mamta Kothiyal set the fields on fire keeping the opposition bowler on toes with a match winning opening stand of 143runs. Mamta Kothiyal converted her fifty into a blazing ton which came of mere 71deliveries smashing 14fours in it while the consistent Divya smashed her 2nd back to back half century. Both the girls looked really impressive as they took on the bowlers with pure domination.
Chasing 184 on a difficult track under hot sunlight against quality bowling attacks in a T20 is definitely tough and Uttarakhand must have felt the pressure. Uttarakhand were eventually all out for 90runs where in Ruchi Kapoor & Chammi took 2wkts while the rest of the bowlers also did an excellent job.
Chandigarh clearly dominated the match as they won by 90runs and skipper Mamta was declared ‘outstanding player of the match’ for her brilliant 102runs. After winning the match and on being asked the strategy for today’s game, Mamta said- ‘We were just planning to take singles and two’s as much as possible and not looking to smash boundaries in every ball as that would eventually build the team’s innings and then bowl tight while defending which fetched us good results’
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Madhya Pradesh team was on fire on the opening day proving out to be one of the strongest teams in the opening day as they dominated upfront in both the T20 matches they played on the back of collective perfomance led by their skipper Shakti Raut.
In the 1st match, MP took on Maharashtra where in Mahrashtra won the toss and elected to bat first with an aim of making a big total and putting the opposition under pressure. Mahrashtra were however bundled out for 85runs all out in 13.3 overs as the batsman found it hard to convert their starts on a difficult track. Right arm off spinner Shakti Raut who is also the captain of MP was the pick of the bowlers taking 3/9 while Bhavna Srivastav also did a good job bagging 3wkts for 29runs in her 4 overs. MP chased down the score with superlative ease winning the match by 5wkts in mere 14.5overs. Opener Mahima Devre set the tone for the chase with 31runs while middle order batsman Aayushi Dongre was the 2nd highest scorer with 24. MP won the opening match where in Skipper Shakti Raut was declared ‘man of the match’
In the 2nd match vs Uttar Pradesh too, MP were made to bowl first and they did a good job again where in UP made 120/7 as the 1st innings target. Shakti Raut was again the pick of the bowlers taking 3/24 in 4overs while Chetna Bairagi chipping in with 2wkts. Chasing 121, Shakti raut steered the chase with an attacking 25ball 43* which helped MP win the match by 5wkts & 4.4overs to spare. Shakti smashed 6fours and a six entertaining her team mates as well as the spectators with his counter attacking cricket.
Shakti was again declared ‘man of the match’ as MP won twice in a day which is quite commendable as it takes a lot of fitness and hardwork to play twice in a day. The whole MP team co-ordinated well and all the players gave their best to bring their team at the top of the table.
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Played at the Shivaji Park, Dadar on a difficult track for batting under hot sunlight, it was a blistering match between Chandigarh and West Bengal where in Chandigarh won the toss and elected to bat first with an aim of making a big total.
Batting first, Chandigarh made the highest team total in the 4matches being played on the opening day smashing 133/6 in 20 overs. Divya Sharma who opened the innings smashed a solid looking 59 off 60deliveries anchoring Chandigarh to a respectable total. Divya smashed 8fours facing 60deliveries as the rest of the batsman batted around her. Divya certainly looked promising and confident under difficult conditions which is a good indicator about her cricketing future. From West Bengal, Rashmi Munda was the pick of the bowler coming up with economical bowling figures of 2/20 in 4overs.
Chasing 134, Chandigarh did a terrific job bowling tight not allowing the batsman to score runs freely. West Bengal managed to score only 103/5 in 20overs as Chandigarh bowlers gave their best with Ruchi Kapoor being the pick of the bowlers taking 2/20 in 4overs while the rest of the bowlers also giving a great support. Chandigarh won the match by 31runs and Divya Sharma was declared ‘man of the match’ for his match winning 59.
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Played at the New Hind Sports Club, Dadkar Maidan, it was a exciting clash between MIG CC and New Hind CC where in New Hind won the toss and elected to bat first with the aim of making a big 1st innings total.
New Hind CC batting first scored 315/10 in 69.1 overs wherein opener Parikshit Valsangkar top scored with 89runs. The talented Parikshit looked good for his 106ball stay at the crease which included 13fours and a six while Siddhant Adhatrao at no.4 also chipped in with a crucial and solid looking 51. Experienced Bhavin Thakkar who came in at no.6 also came up with a crucial contribution scoring 51* off 67balls (5fours). The bowlers did a good job with MIG’s left arm spinner Vijaykumar Gohil being the pick of the bowlers coming up with impressive bowling figures of 5/100 in 27overs. Vijay was really impressive bowling in the right areas which fetched results for him as well as his team.
Chasing 316, opener Swapnil Pradhan anchored the innings with solid 71 giving good a headtstart while chasing. Prashant Naik at no.6 also came up with a crucial half century which brought the team back into the game. While New Hindu SC did got some early jitters when they were at 169/6, Siddarth Chitnis(46*) and Balakrushna Shirke(46) came up with match saving 109run stand to steer New Hind SC to a thriller of win.
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Sind Sports Club and Fort Vijay Cricket Club took on each other for a crucial clash at the cross Maidan ground where in Sind CC won the toss and elected to bat first as the wicket looked good to bat on and make a big total to defend.
However, Sind SC’s decision to bat first proved to be a bit costly as they were skittled out for just 117runs all out. Almost the entire team collapsed against the quality bowling of Fort Vijay where in Yash Nahar (39) and Alpesh Ramjani (29) were the top scorers. Right-arm medium pacer Aiswarya Surve who is a disciplined & a talented fast bowler was the highest wicket taker in the match coming up with impressive bowling figures of 5/33 in 9overs. Aiswarya bowled in the right areas with tight line and length not allowing the batsman to convert their starts which fetched results for him as well as his team. Experienced left arm spinner Sagar Udeshi was also good bagging 3/33 in 13.5 overs.
Fort Vijay did receive a tough fight from Sind bowlers as they did not allow them to win easily not before sending their 5batsman back to the pavilion. Fort Vijay batsman chipped in with 20’s with Harshad Rawle(18*) and Neelknath Parab (25*) finishing off the chase. Fort Vijay CC won the match by 5wkts & it was surely Aiswarya Surve who stood out in the match with a 5wkt haul.
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Played at Parsee Gymkhana in Mumbai, the promising team of Victory Cricket Club took on the powerful Parsee Gymkhana boys on their home turf where in Parsee Gymhana won the toss and elected to bowl first with an aim of bundling out the opposition to a low total and chase it down with their strong batting line up.
Their decision to bowl first seemed to be accurate as Victory CC were all out for 223/10 in 42.1 overs with middle order batsman Dhrumil Matkar top scoring with 42 while the rest of the batsman chipping in with 20’s and 30’s. Parsee Gymkhana bowlers did a good job not allowing the batsman to convert their starts as they wickets at regular intervals not allowing anyone to settle. Fast bowlers Manish Rao(3/24) and Shivam Malhotra(3/65) were the pick of the bowlers troubling the batsman with impressive line and length. All-rounder Akarshit Gomel also scalped 2wkts with his left arm spin.
Chasing 224 on a wicket where most of the batsmen spend a lot of time practicing and growing up, it was a cakewalk for Parsee Gymkhana where in two of the most reliable and solid batsman of Mumbai Cricket-Bravish Shetty & Akarshit Gomel gave a flying start opening the innings together. This combination certainly worked for Parsee Gymkhana as Bravish smashed 75 off 80balls(7fours,5sixes) while Akarshit scoring a solid 58 off 75balls stitching 120run opening stand which set the tone for the chase. Eventually, the talented Arjun Shetty (37*) and all rounder Manish Rao(35*) at the middle order finished off the chase with a partnership of 70 runs steering Parsee Gymkhana to a win by 6wkts.
It was a match dominated by Parsee Gymkhana boys with openers Akarshit and Bravish doing their job perfectly while Manish’s all-round show was equally commendable.
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