It was the all-important finals of the Dreamz Corporate T20 Tournament at the LIC Ground in Mumbai. The wicket was wet initially so Reliance ADAG elected to bowl first and make the most of the due to restrict Automotive CC to a low total.
Automative CC were off to a good start with their openers giving a decent start followed by their one down batsman Satish Nair who scored a solid 53 off just 40 balls. They were really looking good at one point but the rest of the batsman below the top 3 failed to convert the positive momentum & the good start left by them as they managed to score only 148/9 in 20 overs though they were looking good enough to score 170 at one point. The bowlers did a fairly good job with the ball with medium pacer Dyaneshwar Gandhe picking up 3/23 in his 3 overs followed by 3/33 by their left-arm spinner Vijayendra in his 3.3 overs. Vijay was also quite effective as he picked up 2/22 in 3 overs to trouble the opposition.
Chasing 149 in finals does become a pressure situation but Reliance boys just nailed it as they chased down the score in 19.2 overs with 4balls & 4wkts to spare. Right-handed opener Raj Choughle scored a match-winning 63 off just 43balls which played a big role towards their victory. In-form Bharat singh also chipped in with a quick 29 followed by a solid 34 by Navin. The top 3 batsman completed 80% of the job while chasing as they won the match comfortably. Kartik from Automative acted as a lone wolf as he bowled a brilliant spell of 4/31 in his 4 overs but lacked support from the other end.
Reliance ADAG won the finals of the tournament with Raj Choughle being declared ’man of the match’ for his crucial half-century while his opening partner Bharat singh with 280 runs along with 4 fifties & 6wkts in the tournament was adjudged ‘man of the series’ Cricketgraph congratulates the whole team for their win & wishes them all the luck for a great future ahead.
Bharat Singh Man of the Series
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Two strong teams HAV Solutions and Mahindra & Mahindra faced each other for a crucial encounter at the Western Railway Cricket Ground in Mumbai. On a ‘Paata track’ like western railway, Mahindra elected to bat first and make the most of the pitch conditions to post a big total on the board.
Batting first, Mahindra & Mahindra managed to post a competitive total on the board as they scored 152/7 in 20 overs. Opener Kishore was out for a duck but Raju More managed to give a good start with his run-a-ball 32(3fours, 1six). Apart from him, the man who made the difference was their southpaw Deepesh Gawad as he scored a flashy 64 off just 45 balls to steer his team total to cross the 150+ run mark. Deepesh Gawad smashed 9 fours & did equally good running between the wickets to keep the scorecard ticking. Hardeep Singh & Rijesh Bharathan were the pick of the bowlers with bowling figures of 2/29(4) & 2/27(3) respectively.
Chasing 153, HAV almost came nearby to the total as they lost the match by just 11 runs. Initially it felt, the match was completely over & there seemed to be no chances of winning for HAV as their first 5wkts fell under 25runs but it was Ajit Saun at no.6 who played a fighting knock of 74 coming off just 47balls(3sixes) followed by a quick 22 by Jay Gautam which almost brought them near to a thrilling win. Had they won this match, Ajit’s knock could have been rated as one of the best finishing knocks in the recent past. Fast bowler Mukesh Gawad was the pick of the bowlers taking 3/22 in 4 overs followed by 2wkts each for Nirbhay, Jitendra & Madhav.
It was a wonderful team perfomance by the Mahindra boys which helped them win the match while Deepesh was declared ‘man of the match’. Cricketgraph congratulates Deepesh & the whole team for their commendable win & wishes them to keep playing good brand of cricket for a long long time.
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It was a crucial match between two competitive teams namely Osian’s Cricket Club & Indiacast XI. On a track which was slightly tilted in the favor of the bowlers, Indiacast XI elected to bowl first at the Elf Vengsarkar Academy to restrict Osian’s XI to a low total and put them under pressure.
Their decision to bowl first almost proved to be true as their top 7 batsman failed to make much of an impact but it was Osian’s hidden wild card Aditya Singh who came in at no.7 & smashed a quickfire 54 off just 26balls to bring his team back into the game. Aditya smashed 5fours & 4sixes to keep the run rate ticking & it was certainly a knock which changed the script of the game again in their favor as they were able to reach a respectable 182/7 in 20 overs. In fact it was the lower order who did the job with the bat as Rahul Lapasiya & P Tolia at no.8 & 9 also chipped in with 21* off 18 & 26* off 8 to push their team total to a very healthy score of 182/7.
Chasing 183, Indiacast were all-out for 130/10 in just 17.3 overs & Osian’s XI won the match by a decent margin of 52 runs. Once again it was Aditya singh who was the pick of the bowlers as he took 2/10 with his left-arm spin to make it a complete all-round perfomance. N Bhedda & H Dhadda also took 2wkts each to trouble the Indiacast batsman.
Osian’s Cricket Club won the match by 52 runs & Aditya Singh was declared ‘man of the match’ for his all-round show. Cricketgraph congratulates the whole team for putting up a great effort while also wishes Aditya all the luck for a great future ahead.
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Some kids give signs of a promising future at a very young age & 11year old Arjun bagaitkar is one such example as he has consistently played good cricket over the past few seasons to stamp himself as one of the rising and promising talents in the field of cricket. One such display of perfomance by Arjun was against the recently held match against Dnyansagar International School where his team (Billabong high school) won the toss & elected to bat first at the Raymonds Cricket Ground in Mumbai.
Batting first, Billabong High School managed to score a decent 273/7 in 45 overs. Though openers Aarush Patankar (27) & Rishi (13) gave a small but a good start but it was their no.3 batsman Arjun Bagaitkar who scored a very solid looking half-century to stabilize the Billabong innings. Right-handed Arjun scored 57 off 82balls where he smashed 5 fours & did equally good running between the wickets showing a lot of patience & resilience at the crease. Aman Sarda (40 off 52) & Sai Anurag (28 off 19) also chipped in with solid knocks to push their team total further to a highly competitive one. The bowlers could have done a better job to restrict them to a total around 200 but Aryan Parad lacked support from the other end as he was the lone wolf from Dnyansagar school scalping 5/51 in 9 overs.
Chasing a healthy total of 274 in 45 overs is always a task & Dnyansagar boys did appear to succumb to the pressure of chasing as they were all out for just 100 runs. Left-arm spinner Arush Patankar once again showed what he is capable with the ball as he bowled a brilliant spell of 5/32 in 8 overs. Arjun who had scored a half century also chipped in with 2wkts with his right-arm spin.
Billabong High school won the match by 174runs & Arjun and Aarush’s perfomance was the highlight of the match while Arjun was declared ‘man of the match’
Arjun has been commendable for his age just like Aarush as his track record since the last 6 months is quite a testimony towards that fact as he averages around 39with the bat & has also taken wickets at regular intervals making him a vital cog in the team:
Arjun Bagaitkar
His notable performances since the last 6months are-
| Score/wkts | Date | Opposition | Tournament |
| 42runs | 8th December 2016 | – | Kalyan Premier League |
| 18runs & 3wkts | 15TH December 2016 | – | Kalyan Premier League |
| 27runs & 3wkts | 21st December 2016 | – | MCA U-14 Ghantali trophy |
| 57runs & 2wkts | 24th December 2016 | Dnyanganga School | MCA U-16 Bhandari Trophy |
| 64 | 23rd January 2017 | Gundecha Public Schoool | Mini Olympic Tophy-SF |
| 44 | 24TH January 2017 | Vasant Vihar School | Mini Olympic Trophy Finals match |
| 39runs | 10th Feb 2017 | Singhania School | Kalyan Premier League |
| 28runs & 3wkts | 20th March 2017 | VPM Mulund | Sri Maa Trophy |
| 24 | 23rd March 2017 | Singhania School | Sri Maa Trophy Finals |
| 57 & 2wkts | 20th April 2017 | Dnyansagar School | MCA Bhandari Trophy |
Also the credit must go to their talented coaches Ajay Bhagat sir & Datta Vaity who toil hard to extract the best from the kids who come to get coached under their wings at the Rising Star Cricket Academy. Arjun himself has been attending this academy since the past 2 years & we are sure Arjun must be thankful towards their hard-working coaches.
Cricketgraph congratulates the whole team for their win while also wishes Aarush & Arun all the luck for a great future ahead & continue playing awesome cricket to reach dizzling heights in the field of cricket.
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Orix XI & Sanofi XI faced each other for a crucial face-off at the Western Railway Ground in Mumbai. On a decent batting track, Orix XI elected to bat first after winning the toss, post a big total on the board and put the opposition team under pressure.
Batting first, ORIX XI did a decent job as they posted 144/7 in 20 overs though they could have scored 20-30 runs more to make it a more competitive total. The openers failed to fire but Prakash Dhandore at no.3 scored a defiant 57 off just 44balls to bring his team back into the game. Smashing 9 fours he was the leading scorer for Orix XI which helped them reach a decent target. Right-arm off spinner Irshad Sheikh was the chief destroyer with the ball as he scalped economical bowling figures of 3/21 in 4 overs followed by 2wkts by Ranjith Dhurya & one wicket by Sagar.
Chasing 145, Sanofi literally owned the game & won it in style. Right-handed opener Sushant Satam gave a start which reminded us of Sehwag as he scored a brilliant 65 off just 40balls. Sushant smashed 5fours & 5sixes to enthrall his team-mates & the spectators alike as he almost finished the game single handedly with his opening partner Srihari Tajane who also played a equally good knock of 61* off just 42balls (7fours,1six). Sri Hari supported Sushant well & it was after Sushant’s wicket, Sri Hari changed the gears to finish off the man chase in style.
Team Sanofi won the match by 9wkts & the highlight of the match was the partnership stitched by the openers. Sushant Satam was declared ‘man of the match’ & Cricketgraph congratulates the whole team for putting up a collectively good effort & we also appreciate opener Srihari & Irshan Sheikh who also gave noteworthy contributions towards the game.
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Held at the CCI ground in Mumbai, two strong teams in the name of Osian’s Cricket Club & Cricket Club of India clashed for a crucial encounter. Osian’s XI won the toss & elected to bowl first in order to restrict CCI to a low total and chase it down.
However, CCI did a good batting as they managed to put a very healthy score of 171/6 in 20 overs on the board. Both the openers T.Patani & S purohit gave a brilliant start as Patani scored a quick 37 ball 54 while Purohit scored a 27ball 32. Rohan Punjani & R Zhaveri did fell early but it was again a good comeback by the CCI team as B.Devadvala scored a quickfire 43 off just 23balls which pushed his team total to a very competitive 171 in 20 overs. Osian’s bowlers could have bowled better to restrict them to under 150 but overall it was a decent perfomance by them with D Kathiwada being the pick of the bowlers scalping 2wkts in his 1 over followed by a wicket each for V Shah & A singh.
Chasing 172 at more than 8 runs per over is always a pressure situation & have to be smart enough to chase such scores in T20. However Osian’s XI showed their mettle as they chased the score successfully in 19.5 overs & won the match by 5wkts. Left-handed opener Ankit Chopra made his bat talk at the top of the order as he scored a blazing 63 coming off just 36balls which included 7fours & 3 biggies clearing the boundary ropes. D Kathiwada who had taken 2wkts chipped in with the bat too as he scored 32ball 31 followed by a match winning innings by A Singh who scored 58* off just 28balls (5fours & 3sixes) and played the role of a finisher to the hilt.
Osian’s cricket club won the match by 5wkts while opener Ankit Chopra was declared ‘man of the match’ for his 36ball 63 at the top of the order. It was a good team perfomance overall where every player contributed in his capacity to help their team win the match. Cricketgraph congratulates the whole team for their win & wishes them luck for their coming matches of the tournament.
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All-rounders are always an asset to a side & they can change the game single-handedly when they are on song. Have’nt we seen Maxwell, Kallis, Afridi or Pollard? Similarly there have been many talented all-rounders who have been responsible to change games single-handedly but many of them go unnoticed. Hence we came up with this initiative to celebrate their performances & rank the top 5 every month.
It was a task shortlisting but we finally nailed it & here are the top 5 all-round performances for the month of March 2017 in the Mumbai local Tournaments.
5. Rakesh Yadav (LHB)- 33 & 3/20 vs Nirlon
The semis of the RCF Corporate T20 Tournament witnessed a good all-round perfomance by Rakesh Yadav as he scored a 18ball 33 while opening the innings & also took 3/20 while defending his team total of 154/7. Eventually his team Shinrai Toyota won the match & yadav was declared ‘man of the match’.
4. Akash Bharadwaj (RHB)- 38* & 3/17 vs SMCA
Akash had already been one of the best all-rounders in the Govardhandas Shield Tournament & one of the example of his perfomances was against the team SMCA (Shantiben Memorial Charitable Trust) where he scored 38* off 27balls & took 3 wkts with his right arm off spin while defending their total of 156 in 20 overs eventually helping his team Kandivali Cricket Association win the match.
3. Rupesh Kondalkar (RHB)- 66 & 3/12 vs Navi Mumbai Police
Right-handed Rupesh Kondalkar scored a solid 66 off 74 balls helping his team reach a respectable target of 200 & than chipped in with 3/12 while defending the target eventually defeating Navi Mumbai Police & helping Lilavati Hospital qualify for the finals of the Thane Vaibhav Tournament.
2. Akash Patil (RHB)- 83 off 40 & 6/25 vs Star India XI
Akash Patil completely owned the match against Star India XI which was also the high pressure finals of the Masters Cup where he first scored 83 off 40balls & then took 6/25 in 4 overs with his medium pace which also included a hat-trick to help his team win the tournament.
1. Aditya Dhumal (LHB)- 80 off 42 & 7/8 vs Tata Capital.
Well we are damn sure this perfomance will be amongst the best all-round perfomances not only for the month of march but for this whole year as Aditya went completely berserk first with the bat scoring 80 off just 42balls & than bowling mesmerizing spell of 7/8 with his left-arm spin. It was this perfomance which helped Tata Power win the tournament finals against the powerful Tata Capital team.
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It was the all important match between Vignesh Sports Academy & Union Cricket Club at Shubhash Maidan in Mumbai. Union CC won the toss & elected to bat first in order to put the opposition under pressure.
Batting first, Union CC managed to score 219/10 in 30 overs which is a good score to defend. They could have been restricted to 170-180 but the bowlers leaked as many as 56 extras which acted as a big dent. Apart from that it was a superb perfomance by their no.4 batsman Akash Singh who scored a scintillating century to anchor his team’s total to a respectable 220. Right-handed Akash came in at no.4 & blasted a quick 108* off just 68 balls which included as many as 18 boundaries while the batsman from the other side were losing quick wickets. Akash was the only batsman who looked confident & was attacking the bowlers with ease while Tejas was the 2nd highest scorer in the team apart from Akash with a 26ball 22. Arya was the pick of the bowlers taking 2/35 followed by a wicket each for Aryan & Athrava.
Chasing 220 in 30 overs, Vighnesh Sports Academy was all-out for 123 in just 18 overs & Union CC won the match comfortably by 96 runs. Parth with 3/27 was the pick of the bowlers while Akash took 2/14 followed by a wicket each for Pratik, Tejas & Hemaksh.
Union Cricket Club won the match while Akash Singh was declared ‘man of the match’ for his brilliant hundred which spoke a lot about his talent. Cricketgraph congratulates the team for their win & also wishes Akash to continue his good form in the coming matches of the tournament.
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When you see such knocks at the local level, it just feels so good that India has such a good stock of cricketing talents in the remote corners of India who sometimes go unnoticed. It was a crucial quarter-finals between Abhyudaya Bank & Canara Bank at the National Cross Maidan where we got to witness a complete paisa vasool innings from the Canara Batsman & especially their 1 down batsman Karan Shah. On a decent batting track, Abhydaya elected to bat first & post a big total on the board.
The openers gave a wonderful start with Shreyas scoring a quick 30 while right-handed Atul Rane scoring a solid half century at the top of the order. Atul Rane smashed 59 off 45 balls which helped in developing the positive momentum for their batsman to come & Karan shah at no.3 just perfectly capitalized on the momentum set by the openers. The moment Karan arrived at the crease, it was the start of a total carnage of Canara bowlers as he started attacking the bowlers like a man on a mission. Left-handed Karan Shah went on to score 113 off mere 41 balls where in he reached his hundred off just 37 balls which will be amongst the most fastest hundreds in Mumbai in the recent times. What’s more the entertainment quotient was also taken care off as he smashed as many as 12 big sixes clearing the ropes apart from 6 boundaries. None of the bowlers were spared apart from S mayekar who gave only 21 runs in 3 overs while S Jayshal scalping 2/45 in his 4 overs. With the help of that century, Abhyudaya posted a mammoth 220/2 in 20 overs.
Chasing 221 at 11 runs per over is a daunting task in T20’s & the pressure of chasing was quite evident in the body language of the Canara batsman as they managed to score only 115/8 in 20 overs. Left-arm spinner harsh was the pick of the bowlers scalping 4/20 in his 4 overs which acted as a big dent in Canara innings followed by a wicket each for prashant, mangesh & skipper Sanju raut.
Abhyudaya bank won the match by a big margin of 105 runs & Karan Shah’s 113 was surely the highlight of the match which will be remembered for a long time. Cricketgraph congratulates the whole team as well as Karan & wishes them all the luck for a great future ahead.
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It was a great perfomance by the Deutsche Bank boys at the Vengsarkar Academy Ground in Mahul. It was like a pack of wolves attacking together as almost all the batsman fired scoring quick 20’s & 40’s to dominate the opposition. Saatchi & Saatchi won the toss & elected to bowl first with an aim of restricting them to a low total.
As Sagar shared with Cricketgraph “Deutsche bank openers (Felio D’silva and Shobhnesh Chowdhary) provided a steady start without losing quick wickets. It was just a matter of time before they shifted gears and started accelerating the flow of runs.’ Felio scored a quick 49(30) while Sagar scored a supportive 25 to give a solid start at the top of the order. Though, the opposition did get some breakthroughs as Nikhil (0) & V Angne (13) lost their wickets quickly. But as sagar gave us more inputs “This did not stop Deutsche bank batsmen to score runs freely and at a consistent & accelerating pace. Felio and Sanket Kankonkar(46 off 19, 5fours, 3sixes) scored runs briskly by raining sixes & fours. Once Felio was out, Sanket was joined by Vineet who managed to keep the scoreboard ticking. On Sanket’s departure, Sagar Chemburkar(20* off 8) joined the crease and was quickly joined by Abhishek Sharma (38* off 12, 3fours,3sixes) after Vineet’s wicket. Abhishek and Sagar started scoring runs freely and Abhishek continued to send the ball out of the boundary line on a number of occassions. Though wickets fell but the batsmen at the crease kept the momentum going and reached a mammoth total of 200 runs at the end of 20 overs. Satchi n Satchi players were already at the backfoot looking at a huge total to chase.
Chasing 201 is always a daunting task & Saatchi & Saatchi did felt the pressure of chasing such a big score. The pressure was quite evident as they got bundled out for just 65 runs in 12.2 overs. Sagar Chemburkar was the pick of the bowlers troubling batsman with his left arm spin as he came up with bowling figures of 4/27 in 4 overs followed by 2/8 by Vineet Verma & 3/7 by Siddarth Angne.
It was a collective display of a great team perfomance by the Deutsche boys as they won by a big margin of 135 runs while Sagar Chemburkar was declared ‘man of the match’ for his all-round contribution. Cricketgraph congratulates the whole team & wishes them to continue playing this good brand of cricket for a long long time.
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