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.
Surjeet Roy of Tata Motors bagged the Kimati Corporate Bowler of the Week Award for his bowling brilliance that was exhibited against Sterling Wilson at Vengsarkar Academy ground on 11th February in the semi-final of Masters Cup Edition 2. Tata Motors skipper accounted for 6-27 in his full quota of four overs, picking up his first two wickets in the span of just four balls. The right arm off-spinner bowled good lines and lengths making it difficult for the batsmen to score freely off him. Roy 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; Ratan Thakur of Sterling Wilson and Rakesh Rao of FSS were fighting hard for the Kimati Bowler of the Week award. Thakur picked up 6-31 in four overs against Tata Motors (in the same match where Roy grabbed 6-27) while Rao scalped 5-24 in 2.5 overs and scored a brisk 21 off 14 balls against Vodafone.
The award was handed over to Surjeet by Mr. Ramesh Dorairajan in Tata motors office
Kimati Corporate Bowler Award will come back next week with a new winner, till then Cricketgraph and Kimati wishes you all the very best.
Quarter finals are always a treat to watch where both the teams give whatever they have to win the match, such was the case between CIDCO & Godrej at Dadoji Konddev Stadium in Thane. Team Godrej won the toss & elected to bat first to put CIDCO under pressure.
Batting first, Kapil dev & Abhijit lost their wickets early at 12 & 0 respectively. However, Ajinkya Katta who came in at no.3 played an anchor’s role to perfection scoring a well crafted 72 off 72 balls. The middle order did not give much of a support but their all-rounder Dinesh Juvekar who came in at no.7 changed the game completely. Right-handed Dinesh scored a magnificent 107 off just 68 balls which included 16 fours and a big six. Dinesh and Ajinkya also stitched a match winning partnership which took the game away from CIDCO’s hands. Dinesh Juvekar was outright entertaining and did not spare any bowler in his counter attack. Juvekar was smashing runs at will and was completely entertaining to watch. With the help of Dinesh’s century and Katia’s 72, Thane Vaibhav managed to reach a defining total of 254/9 in 35 overs. Darshan Thakur was the pick of the bowlers taking 3/47 in 7 overs.
Chasing 255, CIDCO gave a solid tough fight to Godrej as they were at one point almost looking good to win the chase. Kapil Koli (70 off 60) & Rahul Kadu(46 off 37)at one point were looking really strong stitching a healthy partnership together. But apart from these two, the rest of the batsman failed to fire and fell short of 29 runs. Kapil dev Khunger was the leading bowler taking 4/52 in 7 overs. Star batsman Dinesh Juvekar also contributed with the ball taking 2/37 in his 7 overs. In fact both the wickets he took were crucial breakthroughs.
Godrej won the hard fought quarter finals by 29 runs & Dinesh Juvekar was rightly adjudged ‘man of the match’ for his brilliant all-round show. Dinesh will certainly be a player to lookout for & Cricketgraph wishes him & his team to go on & win the tournament.
This isn’t the first time Suryansh has come in the news & by now even the readers know that. The talented batting all-rounder has had a fantastic season, in fact the last 12 months have been quite evolving for him as a player as he has consistently scored heaps of runs & taken wickets at will. Such was the case against Mulund Gymkhana too at New Era Ground, Azad Maidan Mumbai. Mulund and Sanjeevani faced each other with Team Sanjeevani winning the toss & electing to bat first.
Batting first, Openers Suryansh and Anurag gave one of the finest opening starts of the tournament stitching an almost 15 run partnership. Right-handed Suryansh scored a blazing 73 coming off just 44 balls while Anurag from the other end played the supporting role with a 72 ball 74. Suryansh was particularly destructive with the bat & played some really fine cricketing shots which were nothing short of gathering awe from the opposition. Suryansh 73 came at a strike rate of 165.91 which included 12 glorious fours and a big six to enthrall his team mates & the spectators. The rest of the batsman did not make much of a difference but already the damage was inflicted by the openers. Hence, they reached a healthy total of 212/5 in 25 overs. From the bowling department, Abhinav was the pick of the bowlers taking 2/22 in 3 overs.
Chasing 213 in 25 overs is always tough and eventually Mulund Gymkhana succumbed to the pressure & were all out for just 96 runs. All the bowlers chipped in with crucial breakthroughs and hardly gave any chance to the batsman to score runs freely. Suryansh who already scored a quick 73 also chipped in with 2 wkts thus making it a great all-round performance. What’s more he even took one catch too.
Sanjeevani won the match by a comfortable margin & Suryansh was adjudged ‘man of the match’ for his all round show. With consistent performances, Suryansh time & again gets featured everywhere at such a young age & Cricketgraph wishes he keeps on progressing more & more as he has a long way to go.
Rika Global & Accenture trade processing faced each other for a league match at Elf Vengsarkar Academy, Oval, Churchgate, Mumbai. Both the teams are equally strong & a good match was expected from them. Winning the toss, Rika global elected to bat first since they have a good batting line up to make a fairly big total to defend (it was dry pitch which was good for batting).
Batting first, Rika Global were off to a magnificent start with both their openers firing from all the cylinders. Right handed opener Prakash Patil started playing aggressive brand of cricket from the word ‘go’ as he scored his 63 at a strike rate if almost 175+. Prakash scored 63 coming off just 39 balls in which he smashed 11 glorious boundaries in it (He particularly favored the faster bowlers as he scored a lot of runs against them). While his partner Akash Patil scored a fluent 68 coming off just 51 balls. Both the batsman helped reach the team total to 199/3 in 20 overs. Jayam Singh’s fantastic onslaught of 18 ball 40* down the order also played an equally big hand in making their team reach almost 200. Pritesh was the only bowler with respectable bowling figures of 1/25 in 3 overs.
Chasing 200 runs at exactly 10 runs per over proved to be too much in the bag for the opposition as they managed to score only 143/9 in 20 overs and handed over a victory by 56 runs to Rika Global. M Matim & Suyash were the pick of the bowlers taking 3/18(3) & 2/5(2) for Rika Global. It was definitely a collective team performance put by all the Rika Players who contributed in their capacity. Prakash Patil who gave a quick start at the top of the order was adjudged ‘man of the match’ for his 39 ball 63.
Cricketgraph wishes all the players of Rika Global to keep playing awesome cricket and continue their good form for many matches to come.
Societe Generale & B4U Television were into a crucial league face off at the Young Zoroastrian Ground, Mumbai. The strong Society Generale won the toss & elected to bat first and post maximum target on the board for B4U to chase.
Batting first, openers Nitin & Pratik lost wickets early but it was some good batting by their no.3 and no.4 batsman Viraj Mungekar & Nikhil Kotian. Both these batman literally steadied the ship for Society Generale with a great partnership. Viraj scored a counter-attacking 32 ball 40 while it was a solid 49 off 34 balls by Nikhil Kotian. Eventually, Society Generale managed to reach 163/6 in 20 overs with Vinayak being their leading bowler taking 2/30 in 4 overs.
Chasing 164 in 20 overs, it was some brilliant bowling by Society boys which made B4U Television all out for just 79 runs in 12.1 overs. Left-arm spinner Ashwith Shetty yielded magic with the ball taking a stunning fifer with bowling figures of 5/11 in 3.1 overs. H Rushi also supported well and took 3/13 in his 3 overs. It was particularly Ashwith Shetty who acted as a chief destroyer for B4U’s batting line up.
Society Generale won the match comfortably by 84 runs and Ashwith Shetty was adjudged ‘man of the match’ for his brilliant performance. Cricketgraph wishes Ashwith to keep playing wonderful cricket like this and make his team win matches single handedly.
It was a wonderful match (pink ball tournament) between Abbott Healthcare & Laxmi Soap factory at Parsee Cyclists ground, Azad Maidan in Mumbai. Both the teams were equally competitive and an exciting competition was on the cards. Laxmi Soap factory won the toss & elected to field first and make most of the conditions to put Abbott under pressure.
Batting first, Abbott lost both their openers Rehman Siddique & Nitin for 0 & 10 respectively & it looked like Laxmi Soap were off to a perfect start until their no.3 batsman Nilesh Gadekar entered the crease. The Right handed aggressive batsman went on to score one of the blazing centuries of the tournament & counter attacked the bowlers. Nilesh Gadekar scored a magnificent 68 ball 110* to take his team out of trouble & help them post a big total on the board. Nilesh smashed 16 glorious boundaries and a great six in his 68 ball stay at the crease & he was nothing but a joy to watch! Nilesh got some adequate support from Ishan Mithbavkar too who chipped in with a handy 40 runs of just 27 balls before ending their innings at 193/3 in 20 overs. Harshad Tervankar was the pick of the bowlers with bowling figures of 1/18 in 4 overs.
Chasing 194 at almost 10 runs per over, Laxmi Soap were off to a blazing start by their openers Harshad Terewankar and Arun Madhu who scored 25 (13) and 37 (23) respectively. Their partnership also included 2 sixes each from both the openers. However, the middle order & the lower order could not capitalize on the good start given by their openers and they managed to reach only 157/8 in 20 overs. Right arm off-spinner Ajit Sonawane was the pick of the bowlers scalping 3/19 in 3 overs followed by their left arm spinner Amol Dixit who took 2/30 in his 4 overs. Nilesh Gadekar who scored a century also took 2 great catches at mid off which were important wickets in the game.
All in all it was a great match and Abbott team won the match by 36 runs. Nilesh Gadekar was rightly adjudged ‘man of the match’ for his entertaining century and some great fielding. Cricketgraph wishes the whole team as well as Nilesh all the luck to go on & win the tournament.
Quarter finals are always interesting to watch and similarly was a match between Material Organisation & JK Sports at Bharat CC Ground, Shivaji Park, Dadar, Mumbai. Material Organisation won the toss & elected to field first with an aim of restricting them to a low score
Batting first, JK sports were bundled out for 149 runs in just 35 overs. Not a single batsman fired apart from their opener Dishan Rane who scored a well made 58 off 96 balls(6 fours). Abhishek Shettigar was the only batsman who crossed the 20 run mark apart from him in the side scoring 28 off 40 balls. Right arm medium pacer Vinayak Joshi bowled well scalping 3/30 in 7 overs. Medium Pacer Kunjan Thakkur was the pick of the bowlers taking 4/25 in his 7 overs. Both the bowlers were disciplined and hardly gave away any loose balls to the batsman. More importantly they destroyed the opposition in tandem taking wickets at the right time.
Chasing 150 was a mere formality for Material Organisation as they won the match by 9 wkts and 21.2 overs to spare. All thanks to their right handed opener Vishnu bhaidkar who scored a classy 70* off 78 balls to steer his team to a quarter finals victory. Vishnu smashed 8 glorious boundaries in his 70* & also did good running between the wickets. No.3 Vivek Malgundkar gave him adequate support and remained unbeaten on 30* off just 31 balls.
Material Organization won the match in style & Vishnu bhaidkar was adjudged ‘man of the match’ for his brilliant unbeaten innings at the top of the order. Cricketgraph wishes the team all the luck and also wishes Vishnu to continue his good form in the crucial upcoming matches & help his team lift the trophy.
SVPT School Thane & Santosh Sports Academy faced each other for a nail biting quarter final match. Both the teams are neck to neck when it comes to their batting and bowling strength and a tough competition was bound to happen between the two sides. Winning the toss, Santosh Sports Academy elected to bat first in order to capitalize on the conditions & put the opposition under pressure.
Santosh Sports Academy did a fairly good job with the bat as they amassed 265 runs in 33.2 overs. Had they played for a few more overs, the target could have been even bigger. Aadit Degaonkar scored a magnificent 144 to help his team post a competitive total. Right-handed opener Aadit was smashing the ball with ease & grace and smashed boundaries in every corner of the ground. Degaonkar was the leading run scorer followed by Manan Bhatt’s 42 and Rishabh Koti’s 22. From the bowling department, Ritvik Patekar, Saumya Madhvi and Manish Koli scalped 2 wickets each & collectively bowled well together.
Chasing 265, SVPT school gave one of the toughest fights in the tournament and this will surely be a match to remember. SVPT almost won the match with Rishikesh kale (79*) and Ritvik Patekar (66*) almost steering their team to a victory. 4 runs were needed of the last delivery and Aadit Degaonkar once again came to the rescue diving and saving a certain boundary of Rishikesh Kale who was looking extremely good with the bat. It was a match which went till the last ball of the innings and no one knew till the very last ball who would win the match & that’s how interesting matches should be!
It was a perfect quarter final match and Aadit was obviously the performer of the match with his glamorous 144 and a stunning fielding which saved his side in the last ball of the innings. This will surely be a match which will be remembered by both the teams for a long time & Cricketgraph wishes they keep on entertaining us with such nail-biting encounters & individual performances.
Knockout matches are always interesting and it always succeeds in holding our nerves & such was the match between Palghar Dahanu taluka & Dadar Sporting Club at Sassanian ground, Azad Maidan, Mumbai. Dadar Sporting Club won the toss and elected to bat first in order to capitalize the batting conditions and make a big target.
Opener Bhupen Lalwani scored a well crafted half-century (53 off 79 balls) to give his team a decent start. However, the star of the innings was their left handed Ramanpreet Singh who came in at no.3 & scored one of the most fluent centuries of the season. Singh was calm, composed and looked effortless in his 112 which came off 179 balls. Ramanpreet also worked hard and did a lot running between the wickets quite evident from the fact that he smashed only 9 boundaries in his entire knock. Coming in at no.7, right handed Tanush Kotian once again showed his immense ability with the bat as he scored a quickfire 88 ball 91*(6 Fours) to steer his team to a respectable total of 292/6 in 70 overs. Utkarsh Raut was the pick of the bowlers from Palghar team taking 3/81 in his 21 overs.
Chasing 293, Palghar team were all out for 171 runs and handed over a victory of 121 runs to Dadar Sporting Club. It was a great day in the office for the Dadar boys as they performed well both with the bat as well as with the ball. Right-arm leg spinner Khizer Dafedar again came to the limelight as he bowled a wonderful spell of 7/70 in 17 overs which shook the opposition. Khizer who is already a proven batsman is now also making his bowling skills get noticed. Tanush Kotian who had done a great job with the bat also chipped in with the ball scalping 2/44 in 12 overs.
It was a great knockout victory for Dadar Sporting Club and Khizer, Tanush and Ramanpreet were collectively adjudged ‘player of the match’ for individual heroics. Cricketgraph certainly wishes their good form continues and they make their team win matches like this time & again in the future.
Parsee Gymkhana & National Club were into a crucial face off at National Cricket ground Cross Maidan in Mumbai. Parsee Gymkhana who have a strong batting line up elected to bat first after winning the toss and put National Club under pressure from the very 1st over.
Parsee gymkhana batted well but they did not score enough runs on the board which they may have planned of as they were all out for 214/10 in 55 overs. 214 is not a small target to chase but not the biggest either and it was a mixed bag feeling for the Parsee Gymkhana boys. Opener Bravish Shetty is making all the right noises in the cricketing circles as he came up with another fine stroke-filled 100 against the National Club bowlers. Bravish once again defied the odds and went on to score a graceful hundred which consisted of 15 boundaries. Bravish Shetty almost scored half of the team runs and that itself is an indicator of his current form. Ajinkya Patil & Ankit Revandkar were the only two apart from him who looked good for their 42 & 33 respectively. From National Club, Saleed Shaikh was the pick of the bowlers taking 5/46.
Chasing 214, National Club succumbed to the good bowling of Parsee Gymkhana as they were all out for 131 in 55.3 overs. Prathamesh Pawar was the only one who fought hard from their side and remained unbeaten on 66*. From the bowling department, it was their pace spearhead Shivam Malhotra who rattled the whole batting line up of National club with his 5/53. Shivam bowled with great line and length with consistent pace and kept on giving important breakthroughs to his side. In fact looking at Shivam’s exploits with the ball, he is already being selected for the Mumbai Ranji Trophy.
Parsee Gymkhana won the match by 83 runs and both the players Shivam & Bravish Shetty were collectively adjudged ‘Man of the match’. Cricketgraph wishes Parsee Gymkhana as well as these two players all the luck for a great future ahead.
