It was the all important Quarter Finals between Parkophene Cricket club & Karnataka Sporting Association & a good competition was on the cards since both the teams were powerful at Karnataka Sporting Association Cricket Ground, Cross Maidan, Mumbai. Winning the toss, Parkophene Cricket club elected to bat first and make the most of the batting conditions to post a healthy total on the board.
Batting first reaped good dividends as they managed to score 284/6 in 70 overs which is a competitive total to defend. Left-handed opening batsman Akhil Rajput made his presence felt at the top of the order scoring a well-crafted 92 off just 157 balls. Akhil was calm & composed and hardly looked affected by any bowlers during his stay at the crease which yielded 14 boundaries from his willow. Right handed Adeeb Usmani also played a solid knock of 59 followed by 33 by Onkar Khanvilkar which helped their team to reach a total of 284/6 in 70 overs. Vineet Sinha was the pick of the bowlers for KSA with bowling figures of 3/45.
Chasing 287, Karnatak Sporting Association managed to score only 189 in 46.4 overs. They were all out with almost 100 runs short due to some good bowling by the Parkophene Cricket club. Opening right arm fast bowler Badre Alam wrecked havoc on the batsman as he dismantled the entire KSA batting unit with amazing bowling figures of 5/20. It was a spell of genuine fast bowling & it helped his team win the match by 95 runs. Vidyadhar Kamat & Harshad Rawale scored 42 & 41 while Kaustub Pawar could not convert his good 37 to steer his team to a victory.
It was a great display of performance by Parkophene Cricket club & especially Akhil, Adeeb & Badre. Cricketgraph congratulates them for their quarter finals win & also wishes them to keep continuing their good form in the coming matches of the tournament.
It was an exciting knock-out encounter between Meridian School & Santosh Sports Academy at the SPCA (Santosh sports academy) ground in Mumbai. SPCA won the toss & elected to bat first since it was a decent track to bat first and capitalize on the opportunity of batting first by posting a big total on the board.
Batting first, SPCA was all out for just 203 in 33.3 overs. It wasn’t the best of the starts as everyone below Rishabh Kotai in the line up almost failed. But it was this 8 year old mini dynamo who stole the hearts with his confident & solid batting. Right-handed Rishabh scored a stunning 58 off just 75 balls & smashed 9 fours in it. Just 8yrs old, but this boy has showed a lot of maturity and confidence at the crease. He certainly looks poised for a bright future ahead. It was straight no.8 after Rishabh who scored a match saving knock of 51 off just 30 balls (8 fours & a six) down the order which took their team total to a respectable position. Opening bowler Raj Patil was excellent with the ball and acted as the chief destroyer for the opposition scalping 6/40 in 7 overs. Raj was simply amazing and bowled in complete discipline to disturb the batsman. Manas Shaw also bowled well taking 3/31 in 6.3 overs.
In reply, Meridian School also chased the score in 34 overs. It was a fantastic display of tough competition by both the teams as Meridian school won the match by just 1 wicket. Opener Yash Jadhav scored a 60 ball 68 while it was their no.4 batsman Rutvik Sangdore who scored a match winning 74* off just 58 balls & played the role of finisher to perfection. It was a great match by both the teams & great day in the office for Raj & Rutvik.
Cricketgraph congratulates both the players & wishes them all the luck to keep playing good cricket like this for a long long time.
Finals are always a treat to watch and they are exciting too as both the teams give their best to win the tournament & such was the expectation between Dilip Vengsarkar Foundation & Sangam Sports Club too at the Wankhede Stadium. Winning the toss, Dilip Vengsarkar’s XI elected to field first since they have a strong bowling line up to restrict them to a low total.
Their decision to field first reaped them great dividends as Sangam Sports Club was scuttled out for just 60 runs in 14.5 overs. Apart from Siddharth & Bharat Kalap, not a single batsman was able to cross the two figure mark. It was also some fantastic bowling done collectively by the Vengsarkar boys which restricted them to a low total. Jayshal Wadiyal was the pick of the bowlers picking up 3/11 in 4 overs. Left arm spinner Jayshal bowled amazingly well & hardly gave away any loose deliveries to the batsman to capitalize. He kept on giving important breakthroughs. Jayshal was also supported well by his team-mates as medium pacer Jagdish, satish and left arm spinner Manish took 2 wickets each to make things more difficult for the opposition. In fact it was a very good opening spell by Rohan & Jagdish where the 1st over of the match was maiden & the opposition had managed to score only 18 runs in the 1st six overs which created a good momentum for them.
In reply, Dilip Vengsarkar Foundation chased the score in mere 10.4 overs and won the match by 9 wkts.Opener Soham Mali remained unbeaten on 25* off just 20 balls while Ronak Shinde almost finished the game with his 32. It was a great finals for the Vengsarkar boys and Cricketgraph not only congratulates them but also wishes them luck to keep their good form going for a long long time & keep playing awesome cricket.
Even we at Cricketgraph were surprised when there was no news on Vedprakash in the last few weeks. The boy who has been consistently making headlines for his centuries finally scores yet another century for Mahim Juveniles in the Quarter Finals of the Future Star Tournament.
It was a match between Mahim Juveniles & Virar & a great competition was the call of the day. Winning the toss, Mahim Juveniles elected to bat first considering their run machine Vedprakash & the rest of the strong batting line-up which can capitalize and make a big score.
As usual the right handed Skipper Ved displayed his batting histrionics and came up with another ton which was nothing short of awe-inspiring. Wicket-keeper opening batsman Jaiswal scored an aggressive 136 coming in no time & smashed the bowlers as if bowling practice sessions were going on! Vedprakash smashed 19 fours and 6 big sixes in total & this boy needs no more compliments or introductions anymore as the whole world by now knows how great a talent he is. His opening partner Raj also supported him well scoring a solid 40 to take their team total to a healthy 212/3 in 25 overs.
In reply, Virar managed to reach only 157/6 in 20 overs, thanks to some really good bowling by the Mahim boys. Kush c was excellent with the ball & was the pick of the bowlers with bowling figures of 4/23 in 3 overs.
It was a good quarter-finals win for Ved & his boys and looking at the form Vedprakash & his players are in, they certainly look poised to win the tournament.
Kiran Desai’s journey has been as memorable as it can get. A player who started playing cricket at the age of 16 dared to be different & started coaching at a tender age of 19 years. Since then it has been no looking back for this guy and just recently he was awarded the Level 1 coaching certificate by the ultimate honcho of cricket, the ICC.
It is every coach’s dream to get awarded the highest level of certifications to express their coaching credibility to the world. It has been his consistent hard-work and dedication towards his work which has reaped fruits for him at the age of 33 which is quite a commendable achievement. It has been over a decade since he started coaching & rising his stakes in the coaching market. Kiran had a golden opportunity to work with Sandeep Patil in 2011 at the Complan Cricket Academy which he considers it an enriching experience and a great phase. He has also worked along with the legendary Gary Kirsten on his foundation called ‘Not out’ at MIG Ground in Mumbai. Apart from that he is also working with the veteran Level 3 Coach Umesh Patwal & he is grateful for that.
The wicket-keeper batsman has played a lot of cricket too & has been an asset for whichever team he has played for. He has played for numerous clubs & tournaments & some of the notable names include the Parkophene Club, Payyade Cricket Club amongst others. Kiran Desai also successfully runs his own coaching academy in the name of Kiran Desai Cricket Academy (KDCA) which is quite popular now amongst the aspiring kids and cricketers apart from coaching Goregaon Sports Club, Patkar amongst others..
Kiran Desai was conferred the certificate in Dubai with full respect by the official ICC Director and it was a moment of pride for the coach. At the age of 33, he has already upped his stakes in the market as a cricket coach and Cricketgraph wishes him all the luck for a more bright future ahead.
Kimati Sports, one of the leading manufactures of leather cricket balls in India, in collaboration, with Cricketgraph, launched Corporate Bowler Award this February to recognize the bowling talent in the corporate sphere. The award will be bestowed on the best bowler of the week, based on the performance in the corporate cricket leagues. The best bowler will be awarded with attractive prizes which include a certificate of appreciation and a Kimati leather cricket ball.
Ashwith Shetty of Societe Generale bagged the Kimati Corporate Bowler of the Week (18th – 24th February) Award for his bowling brilliance that was exhibited against B4U Television at Young Zoroastrian ground on 18th February when the two sides faced off in Dreamz T20 Cricket Tournament. The left arm spinner picked up a stunning five wicket haul giving away just 11 runs in his 3.1 overs. Shetty bowled good lines and lengths making it difficult for the batsmen to score freely off him. The wrecker-in-chief played a pivotal role in his team’s win and was rightly adjudged as the Man of the Match.
The panel of judges had a tough decision to make as the other two contenders; Dharmesh Anuwadi of VMS and Veenu of Star India were fighting hard for the Kimati Bowler of the Week award. Anuwadi picked up 4-11 in three overs against Indiacast while Veenu scalped 4-15 in four overs against Kotak on 19th February at Vengsarkar Academy ground.
Kimati Corporate Bowler Award will come back next week with a new winner, till then Cricketgraph and Kimati wishes you all the very best.
Thane City Police & Route Mobile faced each other for a crucial final match of the Thane Vaibhav Tournament (B Div) at the Dadoji Kondev Stadium, Thane. Winning the toss, Route Mobile who have a good batting line up elected to bat first and put the opposition under pressure from the word go.
Batting first, left handed opener Vishal Chitrakar played one of the finest innings of the tournament stitching a great century at the top of the order. Vishal scored a blazing 143 coming off just 95 balls at a strike rate of almost 150 which included 16 boundaries and 3 big sixes. Vishal was very comfortable and kept on hitting the balls at will. He hardly looked troubled against any bowlers & kept the scorecard ticking for Route Mobile. The rest of the batsman chipped in with 20’s and 30’s with Ajinkya Beloshe & Vishal Dhagaonkar scoring 44 & 30 respectively. Route Mobile managed to reach a more than healthy total of 355/7 in 33 overs with Prashant Suryavanshi & Hemant sonawane picking up 2 wickets each.
Chasing 356 in 35 overs is like chasing 200+ target in T20’s, it was never going to be easy & such was the case with Thane Police too as they succumbed to some wonderful bowling by the Route Bowlers. Left-arm spinner Hitesh Parmar yielded magic with the ball and scalped stunning figures of 7/19 in 7 overs. Hitesh was the primary destroyer for Thane City Police & he completely made the batsman clueless with his puzzling spin. Thane City Police was all out for 96 runs and Route Mobile won the finals by 259 runs.
Some players are made to perform at the big stage during crunch situations & Hitesh Parmar and Vishal Chitrakar just proved their worth by firing from all the cylinders in the finals. They both were adjudged ‘man of the match’ & cricketgraph wishes their good form continues for a long long time.
It was the all important encounter between KSG Strikers & KSG Thunders at the Payyade Cricket Ground, Kandivali. Both the teams are equally strong and an exciting competition was bound to happen. Winning the toss, KSG Strikers elected to field first to make the most of the pitch conditions and restrict them to a low score.
KSG Thunders were off to a decent start with a quick 12 & 35 by Deven Bhuta & Soumil Vora. However, it was their no.3 batsman Paresh Valia who played a fine innings of 52. Right handed batsman Paresh Valia scored an aggressive half century coming off just 33 balls & upped the run rate for his side. What’s more Paresh was quite entertaining too as he smashed as many as 5 sixes in his 33 ball 52 to enthrall his team mates and the spectators. Devang Parekh also chipped in nicely and scored a quick 23 ball 37 (5 fours) to take their team total 210/5 in 20 overs which is anyday a big score in the 20 overs format. From the bowling side, Nimesh Valia was the pick of the bowlers taking 2/44 in 4 overs followed by a wicket each for Pujit & Deepak.
Chasing 211, it was a good start given by their opener Rakesh Mehta who scored a solid 28 ball 42. However, he lacked support as 3 quick wickets were down from the other side until Rippal Mehta arrived. Rippal Mehta scored a 33 ball 61(7 fours, 2 sixes) which was almost a match winning knock. Rippal almost steered his side to a great victory before they eventually fell short of just 5 runs. Kunal Mehta down the order also chipped in with a 20 ball 35 & it was one of the toughest & closest matches of the tournament. Paresh Valia was the star bowler too as he came up with bowling figures of 4/38 in 4 overs. Paresh completely owned the day with his all-round performance & was rightly adjudged ‘man of the match’ for helping KSG Thunders win the match by 5 runs.
Cricketgraph wishes Paresh & his whole team all the luck for more great wins in the future.
It was the semi-final match at Dadoji Kondev Stadium in Thane between two strong sides namely Lilavati Hospital and Navi Mumbai Police. Lilavati hospital won the toss & elected to bat first and keep the opposition under tight pressure by making a big score.
It wasn’t the best of the starts for Team Lilavati as both their openers lost their wickets early with Dharmesh & Manohar getting out for 1 & 12 respectively. Their no.3 batsman Sudhir also did not made much of a difference to the score getting out on 14. However, it was their no.4 batsman Rupesh Kondalkar who became the saving grace and rescued his team out of trouble by scoring a solid 74 ball 66. Right-handed batsman Rupesh smashed 8 boundaries & did equally good running between the wickets to keep the scorecard ticking. Yogesh Jambhale also chipped in with 26 & Lilavati Hospital managed to score 200/all out in 34.5 overs with Vinod Bhoir being the leading wicket taker with bowling figures of 4/39 in 7 overs.
Chasing 201, Navi Mumbai Police were all out for 123 and lost the match by 7 runs. Rupesh Kondalkar who already was the star with the bat did his job with the ball too as he took 3/12 in 4.4 overs with his left arm spin. Vishal Shinde also bowled well taking 3/28 in 6 overs.
Lilavati hospital won the semi-finals in a comfortable manner & all-rounder Rupesh Kondalkar was adjudged ‘man of the match’ for his brilliant performance. Cricketgraph wishes Rupesh & the whole team all the luck for brilliant finals.
It was the all important quarter final encounter between DTDC & SBI at the Western Railways Ground, Cross maidan in Mumbai. DTDC won the toss & elected to bat first since it was a good batting track to make a big score on the board.
Batting first, DTDC were off to a blazing start thanks to their right handed opener Manager Gupta. Gupta who has a unique name was as unique with the bat too as he scored some amazing shots & kept on attacking the bowlers. Opener Manager Gupta went on to score a superb 131 coming off just 102 balls which included 9 glorious fours and 5 big sixes to entertain the spectators & his team mates. He also created a good partnership with Virendra who scored a good 30. But that was not all for the DTDC innings as another surprise was left in the name of Bharat shedekar. Bharat coming at no.5 scored an aggressive century scoring 111* off just 80 balls (14 fours and 1 six). Right-handers Bharat and Manager went on to stitch a big partnership too which helped their team post a big total of 325 runs in 45 overs. Both the batsman were outright dominating and hitting the ball with authority. It looked like they were on a mission and the mission was to steer their team to a quarter final victory!
Chasing 326, the opposition team State bank of India were all out for just 166 runs & succumbed to the pressure of chasing and some good bowling. Right-arm off spinner Akash Bharadwaj bowled wonderfully well with bowling figures of 4/32 followed by 3 wkts for leg spinner Sumit Sharma.
DTDC won the Quarter Finals by a big margin and in the most stylish way. Opener Manager Gupta, Bharat Shedekar and bowler Akash Bharadwaj were adjudged ‘man of the match’ for their brilliant individual performances. Looking at the form they are in, they certainly look poised to give tough competition in the further rounds of the tournament.
