Lifestyle Cricket Academy started 2023 with a bang as they clinched the coveted JCA 25+ Plus Championship Season 1. The tournament was played among six teams from October 30, 2022, to January 22, 2023, in Borivali, Mumbai. The top four teams qualified for the semi-finals, and the semi-finals winners advanced to the finals. Lifestyle Cricket Academy took on Bharat Army XI in the finals and beat them by 13 runs to clinch the championship.
Lifestyle Cricket Academy had many remarkable performances throughout the tournament. Vinit Mestry won the player of the series and the best batsman award. Mestry, an opening batter, muscled 328 runs in seven matches and was the leading run-scorer in the competition. He struck two half-centuries and a century, averaging 47 and had a strike rate of 273. He smashed 35 boundaries and 28 sixes.
Besides Mestry, Rohit Sharma was the other top contributor with the bat for Lifestyle Cricket Academy. Sharma scored 139 runs in three innings and was the first centurion of the tournament. He had a healthy average of 70 and a stellar strike rate of over 200.
Rajiv Naik was the most impressive for Lifestyle Cricket Academy with the ball. The wily left-arm spinner scalped nine wickets in five innings and was among the top two wicket-takers in the tournament.
In a fiercely fought contest, Koli Combined XI CC beat Ghatkopar Jolly Gymkhana in the semi-final of Cosmopolitan Shield on January 22.
Winning the toss and electing to bat first, Ghatkopar Jolly Gymkhana scored 206 in 45 overs. Siddhesh Gawande (63) and Gilchrist Prabhakar (55) struck sublime half-centuries to help Ghatkopar Jolly Gymkhana post a respectable score on board. On the other hand, Koli Combined XI CC’s Mrugen Koli and Shreyash Tandel snapped three wickets apiece.
In reply, Koli Combined XI CC overhauled the target in 44.3 overs and won the match by two wickets. Chinmay Patil led the run chase from the front with a valiant 55. On the other hand, Ghatkopar Jolly Gymkhana’s Rajesh Soni and Vedansh Patel scalped three wickets each.
Koli Combined XI CC advanced to the finals of Cosmopolitan Shield by defeating Ghatkopar Jolly gymkhana by two wickets.
Ours CC handed a crushing eight-wicket defeat to Our Own CC during the semi-final of Cosmopolitan Shield on January 29.
Inviting Our Own CC to bat first, Ours CC bundled them out for a paltry 114 in 43.4 overs. None of the batters of Our Own CC looked in shape as they failed to score big. On the other hand, Ours CC bowlers had an impressive outing with the ball.
Chasing a modest 115, Ours CC romped home as they completed the formalities in 25 overs, with eight wickets in hand. Tanish Meher starred with the bat as he top-scored for Our CC with a brilliant 66. Aman Tiwari’s 46 complimented Meher’s effort, and the duo steered their side home.
Ours CC defeated Our Own CC by eight wickets to make it to the finals of Cosmopolitan Shield.
The final match of the Sarang Sports Events Management Invitational Cricket Tournament – 2023 Under – 14 Boys witnessed a superb display of fighting spirit. Bhosale Cricket Academy and VS Cricket Academy locked horns against each other at NL Cricket Ground, Dahisar, on January 30.
Batting first, Bhosale Cricket Academy posted a competitive score of 136/4 in 20 overs. Devashish Ghodke starred with the bat for Bhosale Cricket Academy with an unbeaten 46 off 56. On the other hand, VS Cricket Academy’s Ishaan, Samarth Kotkar, and Viren Jadhav claimed one wicket each.
In reply, VS Cricket Academy took the match down the wire as they overhauled the target in 19.3 overs. They won the game by five wickets. Captain Vedant Patil led the run chase from the front with an undefeated 67 off 43 and guided his team to victory. For Bhosale Cricket Academy, Shaurya Kanse was the most successful bowler, with 17/2 in four overs.
Vedant Patil bagged the player of the match award for his match-winning innings. He also won the Best Batsman award. Samarth Kotkar and Om Rane clinched the Best Bowler and Best Fielder awards, respectively.
Sarang Sports Events Management and VS Cricket Academy jointly organised this mega tournament.
Nikhil Sarang (Sarang Sports Events Management) – 9820510128
The Jolly Friends Sports Club (JFSC) organized Shivaji Park Premier League Edition 2 2023 was nothing short of a spectacle. Contested at the historic yet rigorous Shivaji Park in Dadar, the tournament was a huge success. The JFSC Shivaji Park Premier League Edition 2 different champions as per their respective divisions.
The tournament finals were contested in 4 divisions, namely Silver, Gold, Platinum and Diamond.
The list of the winners for the respective finals are as follows:
- Diamond Finals Winners: P-1
- Platinum Finals Winners: Mumbai Rising Stars
- Gold Finals Winners: United Tusker
- Silver Finals Winners: NR academy
The JFSC Shivaji Park Premier League was played with passion and intensity yet the players displayed impeccable sportsman spirit qualities. The edition 2 of the tournament exceeded the expectations as one another JFSC organised championship came to a conclusion.
In today’s batsman dominated cricket where we see 400 runs scored in a blink of an eye, bowlers are left with limited options; The batsmen win you games however, bowlers, win championships. In the ongoing Ranji Trophy knockout stages, Uttarakhand had reached the Quarter Finals, beating the likes of Orissa, Himachal Pradesh and Baroda. The major credit goes to the bowlers for taking their team pass the league stage and the man behind their success is Anand Rajan.
For the uninitiated, Anand Rajan is a well decorated ex-First Class cricketer who represented Madhya Pradesh. With almost a decade of experience, Rajan was a very well established cricketer during his time. His T20 record was as good as it could get, with an average of just 16.68 in 31 games, the speedster was picked for Deccan Chargers and subsequently Sunrisers Hyderabad. He hung up his shoes in 2014 and began a career in coaching.
So far, Anand Rajan has prospered extremely well. Working with the likes of Venkatesh Iyer and Avesh Khan who reside in the state of Madhya Pradesh itself, Rajan has entrenched himself as a fast bowling coach. At numerous occasions, Venkatesh Iyer has credited his success to Coach Rajan on live post-game interviews. During their spare time, Venkatesh Iyer and Avesh Khan work on-to-one with Coach Anand. Apart from them, upcoming fast bowler Rajan Chaudhary, who was picked by Royal Challenger’s Bangalore for 70 lakhs in the Mini Auction is also a disciple of Coach Anand.
I am very happy with the team’s (Uttarakhand) performance this season, especially the bowlers who have worked immensely hard and applied themselves so well. To see the bowler’s do well, it is one of the best views from a coach’s perspective.
Anand Rajan
Under Rajan’s guidance, Uttarakhand were able to perform exquisitely with the ball this season. Bowling out Baroda for just 85 and Himachal Pradesh for just 49, Uttarakhand’s bowlers paved the way for their team in numerous occasions.
Coach Anand Rajan also mentioned how working with the Uttarakhand team has given him the satisfaction as a coach but the fire still burns and is looking out for opportunities to challenge his coaching capabilities.
On January 28, JSW Steel Limited took on BARC Staff Club during their Times Shield ‘E’ Division clash. BARC Staff Club won the toss and elected to bat.
Batting first, BARC Staff Club posted 221/9 in 45 overs. Sagar Kawankar top-scored with a 90-ball 60 for BARC Staff Club. For JSW Steel Limited, Yash Kripal and Amit Mishra were the most successful bowlers, with three scalps apiece.
In reply, JSW Steel Limited chased down the total in 42.3 overs and won the match by four wickets. Parag Jadhav led the run chase from the front with an unbeaten 69 off 101. On the other hand, BARC Staff Club’s Sanjay Singh and Samadhan Kanandai were impressive with the ball, claiming two wickets each.
The successful corporate entity namely Softcore Solutions Pvt Ltd enjoyed a remarkable one day event at Rangoli Turf which was organized by Cricketgraph. The employees from the Softcore Solutions Pvt Ltd competed in a tennis ball cricket tournament at Thane.
During the game, one of the company representatives namely Mangesh Palghare shared some kind words on the well-arranged cricket tournament.
Softcore Solutions Pvt Ltd had trusted Cricketgraph to organize everything from the ground to the scorers. Cricketgraph also provided their in-demand Cricketgraph Match Highlights wherein the games are recorded and uploaded on Cricketgraph’s YouTube channel for viewers to enjoy.
Apart from men, there matches scheduled for the women as well.
Overall, it was a successful event where the satisfied Softcore Solutions Pvt Ltd enjoyed their cricket tournament.
Kunal Vatari of Deccan Cricket Club hit the headlines with his back-to-back centuries in GK Phanse Trophy. The right-handed top-order batter has been prolific and is a vital cog in the team’s batting line-up.
On January 23, playing against Thane Friends Union Cricket Club, Vatari hammered an unbeaten 182. His 131-ball innings saw 20 boundaries and two sixes. Out of the team’s total of 271 in 35 overs, Vatari accounted for close to two-thirds of the runs. Deccan Cricket Club went on to win that match by 98 runs.
Picking up from where he had left, on January 24, Vatari packed a punch with yet another century. He muscled an undefeated 164 off 140, finding the fence 23 times. He guided his team to 337 in 40 overs against Devaidnya Cricket Club. Deccan Cricket Club won that match, too, with a massive margin of 173 runs.
On January 28, Mumbai Division U14 took on Amravati Division U14 during the final of the State Level School U-14 DSO Cricket Tournament. Mumbai Division U14 won the toss and elected to bat at Atma Malik Cricket Academy Kokamthan in Shirdi.
Batting first, Mumbai Division U14 piled up a commanding score of 139/1 in 15 overs. The opening pair of Laxmanprasad Vishwakarma (42 off 27) and Aayush Shinde stitched a 69-run partnership in 8.1 overs. Shinde top-scored with an unconquered 61 off 48, including seven boundaries. After the fall of Vishwakarma’s wicket, Abdur Rahman joined Shinde. Rahman played a 17-ball cameo to score an unbeaten 28. For Amravati Division U14, Sagar Kharche was the lone wicket-taker.
In reply, Amravati Division U14 were restricted to 65/9 in 15 overs, and they lost the match by 74 runs. Yash Dongardive fought hard with the bat and scored 24 off 31 for Amravati Division U14. On the other hand, captain Vedant Gore wreaked havoc with the ball for Mumbai Division U14, claiming 5/4 in three overs, including one maiden.
Mumbai Division U14 blew away Amravati Division U14 with their cricketing excellence and clinched the championship.