It was a tight league match between Akumentis vs SOTC at Azad Maidan with both the teams giving their best. Akumentis who had won the toss elected to bat first but things somehow did not go in their favor as they were all out for 162 in 32.4 overs.
Right handed opener Raju Shamla looked good for his 28(46b) but was unable to convert his good start and such was the case with almost all the batsman of Akumentis apart from Ashish More who scored a gutsy 49. Chasing 163, Akumentis really gave a tough fight to SOTC and made them all out for 161 in 39.3 overs. SOTC fell short of just one run and it was a match which held our nerves till the end. It was also some really good bowling by the Akumentis bowlers which made the game exciting. Siddhesh Desai bowled really well for his 3/19(8), it was also good to see Raju shamla contributing with the ball too, though he gave away a few runs but ended up being a match winner picking up 4 wickets in 8 overs. Pradnyesh Shinde also bowled a fantastic last over dismissing the last batsman when SOTC just needed a run to win the game.
Akumentis won by a very close encounter & both the teams gave their best to win the game. Raju shamla who scored a brisk 28 at the top of the order and also chipped in with 4 wickets was adjudged “man of the match”
While both the teams have genuine players and big names, there was no doubt that the match would be exciting between DY Patil(B) vs Western Railways. It was the 3rd league match for DY Patil team and they were made to bowl first after losing the toss.
Western Railways managed to score only 141/9 in 20 overs. Samarth Vyas (30) & Vinayak Bhoir(46) became the saviors for their team at the middle order to make their team’s total at least defendable. Right arm fast bowler Vineet Sinha did the most damage to the western railways as he picked up 4/22 in his 4 overs. He was completely destructive with the ball while he got good support from Shashank Singh (1/19 in 4) and Siddharth chitnis who also took 2 wickets.
Chasing 141 with a strong batting line up was never going to be tough for DY team. Aggressive Kevin Almeida and right handed Shashank Singh tore apart the bowlers and brought up 100 runs within the first 10 overs. Both the openers made the most of the powerplay & played on their merit. While Kevin scored a 29 ball 47, it was Shashank who almost finished off the game for his team scoring a 40 ball 70. Shashank smashed 5 fours and 4 sixes out of which his 95 metres straight six was his personal favorite.
DY Patil won the match comfortably by 7 wickets and the talented Shashank Singh was adjudged “man of the match” for his great batting. With 3 consecutive league win so far in the tournament, DY patil is also topping the table right now and will be a team to look out for in the coming matches.
It was a neck to neck encounter between KSG thunders and Super Kings in the KSG 40-40 tournament. Both the teams are equally strong and an exciting competition was bound to happen.
KSG Thunders won the toss and elected to field first as they are comfortable in chasing big targets. Super Kings lost wickets and got the early jitters but they were blessed with Chintan Kanakia’s 92 ball 115* which took their team total to 263/7 in 40 overs. No doubt that was a very healthy total posted by super kings. But considering that the thunders are an equally strong side, they were not meant to be underestimated. Thunders lost 3 wickets within the first 10 overs but it was their skipper Devang Parekh who played the captain’s role to perfection. Devang Parekh scored 75* off just 75 balls and kept the scorecard ticking. Moreover, he also created a match winning partnership of over 140 runs with Mihir Mehta who scored 44.
Devang Parekh’s brazen 75 included 11 fours and he targeted pacers with ease with maximum runs coming in the off side. KSG Thunders chased the target in just 34.5 overs with a loss of just 5 wickets. It was a great day for KSG thunders and especially their skipper Devang Parekh who has been the backbone of his team in the batting department. Devang Parekh was adjudged ‘man of the match” & he will take his team ahead with a lot of mojo.
It was a very crucial match for both the teams (Dynamites as well as Sankalpan) as the winner of the team would qualify to play in the 2nd eliminator match while the losing team would get eliminated straightaway. So winning the match was on both the team’s agenda.
Winning the toss, Dynamites elected to bowl first as they are known to chase well with dangerous opener like Shahen Mistry in their arsenal. Sankalpan did not had the best of the starts as they had lost 4 wickets in the first 10 overs with just 40-45 runs on the board. However, in T20 it is said that every team must have at least one Dwayne Bravo and Sankalpan were lucky to have one. Middle order batsman Kiran Salgaonkar became the saving grace coming in at no.6 and scoring a 30 ball 53 laced with 11 boundaries. Not only did the right hander took the team out of trouble but he was also entertaining to watch at the same time. Coming in at no.6 and scoring at a strike rate of 176, maybe that is what the doctor ordered!
The match was equally competitive from Dynamites side too as they lost the match by only 4 runs. They were lucky to get crucial breakthroughs and also get the aggressive opener Shahen Mistry out at the right time. Kiran was not done yet and presented a complete cricketing package for his team as he again came in and took two wickets (2/15 in 3.5 overs) with his medium pace.
The match remained exciting till the last ball and this is how a T20 match should be. Sankalpan won the match and all-rounder Kiran Salgaonkar was rightly adjudged ‘man of the match’ Sankalpan will surely have a lot of positive momentum to take ahead in their next eliminator match.
For Information-
The four teams which have reached the final stages of the tournament are-
- SKK Mavericks – Pune
- SSA Strikers – Mumbai
- Sankalpan – Mumbai
- Dynamites – Mumbai
Matunga gymkhana witnessed a wonderful perfomance by the talented Owais Khan, Winning the toss, Rizvi elected to bat first as they had complete faith in their batting line up & especially owais.
Opener Owais khan who was just a few weeks ago in the news for his solid 65 against Mulund Gymkhana is back in the news again with a blazing 139 coming of just 116 balls. As our Cricketgraph reporter observed the game “Owais did class batting and was hitting the ball really well, his pull shots were perfect & did clean hitting”
It was a graceful yet an aggressive knock by Owais. In his 116 ball stay, Owais smashed as many as 24 boundaries and 3 sixes & was full value for money knock for the spectators and his team. At a strike rate of almost 130 and 110 runs in boundaries, Owais stamped his authority against the bowlers. He was initially a little defensive but started taking on the bowlers once he got set. Owais also targeted spinners more than the fast bowlers and scored many boundaries against them at will. Owais was out on 139 trying to flick a pacer towards the covers & thus ended his carnage against the opposition.
It was because of Owais’s brisk 139, Rizvi reached and declared at 272/8. Trailing 272, Green Bombay high school are 72/8 at the end of 1st day’s play. Owais’s knock has surely put Rizvi into a commanding position and let’s wish that the seamless batting form of this talented boy Owais continues for the long run as he looks set for big things.
We are sure now this kid does not need any introduction as he is getting featured alone by Cricketgraph for the 3rd consecutive time in the last one month. Vedprakash is in the form of his life bringing up his third double century of the season.
After winning the toss, VN Sule elected to bat first since they are blessed with a solid batting line up & especially their skipper Ved. They were spot on with their decision to bat first as they comfortably scored and declared their innings at 328/3 in 44 overs. Skipper Ved was in a different zone altogether as no bowler looked tough for him and his innings of 214 was nothing short of magical and flawless. What’s more Ved hardly took any time as he scored all these runs in just 198 balls. Ved smashed 35 glorious boundaries en-route his double century (out of which mid-on & covers was his favorite area) and the opposition bowlers were nothing but clueless against his effortless batting. Ved was eventually bowled by a fast bowler on 214 while trying to play fast before declaring the innings. Harsh Salunkhe had also chipped in with a 56 in the team’s total.
Trailing 323, Shardashram were all out for just 54 runs in 22 overs. Atharva bhosle(4wkts) and Aman khan(3wkts) destroyed the opposition together. With a lead of 274 runs. Skipper Ved has again put his team in a very strong position giving a follow on to Shardashram school.
It will be Ved’s most memorable Giles Shield tournament as and when he grows up & realizes how well he performed in his growing up years. 3wins as the skipper along with 3 double centuries and one time being dismissed on 176, this little genius is giving us major batting goals. We certainly wish this boy is getting heard in the upper circles of the cricketing world and gets promoted to play higher levels of cricket soon.
Mukund Gawade, the boy from Kalachowkie Mumbai is making headlines for his noble cause & he certainly deserves all the appreciation coming his way!
72 hours of non-stop cricket practice at Shivaji Park, that takes a lot of fitness, hard work and dedication & this boy is having it all.
There are people who make millions but have no time for philanthropy and there are people who dedicate whatever comes in their way for social causes. Such is the story of this talented boy called Mukund Gawade.
Mukund who went to Penan village once saw kids there studying without lights and they would travel 4-5kms walking everyday to get basic education. Mukund decided that day itself that these kids deserve better facilities and so did the idea of this feat came into his noble mind. The two basic dedications which are keeping him steady to break this world record are;
- He is a huge fan of Sachin Tendulkar and he wants to dedicate this feat to him.
- He wants to build a library at Penan village and provide better facilities along with education to 100 kids of that village.
Mukund started this feat from 4th January and he has been strong like a horse. The Guiness world record allows him to take 5-10minutes of break every 3-5 hours. That is legally allowed. In that time he takes on refreshments and also gets freshened up if needed. Mukund has not slept since last 3 days and that is a huge feat in itself. Mukund is already on his way to create a new Guiness world record which will make all the Mumbaikar’s & the whole nation proud of him.
He is playing day & night to achieve this feat and he has already broken two Guiness world records on his way.
No.1 – He has faced the highest number of deliveries (He faced 13,000 deliveries continuously without quitting)
No.2- He broke a world record of a Pune boy who practiced 50 hours continuously.
(The earlier record holder (Viraj Mare from pune) called him up personally and congratulated Mukund)
Mukund Gawade who is an ardent fan of Sachin is also a social worker and this seems to be a great cause for sure. He is playing with a tennis ball and pads on to avoid any injuries. It is also known that he started practicing 3-4 months prior to achieve this feat. He kept on practicing at Azad Maidan, Cross maidan and even had a Yoga teacher by his side to mould on his fitness and flexibility.
Mukund used to play for St. George(his college) from Mumbai & also played local club cricket in Pune. While his father has retired, her mom works in a hospital. Mukund who does designing course in pune along with social work and cricket seems to be having a lot of responsibility on his shoulders. As Mukund shared with Cricketgraph- He even does a good job in theatres where he is in the NSS unit from Kirti college.
SASA sports brand along with St.George are majorly sponsoring his feat, his local nagarsevak has also helped him a lot. The head of the Kirti Sanjeevani trust also helped a lot to get him a proper pitch (Bengal club side at Shivaji Park).
Mukund who has not slept past 3 days is having doctors by his side where he is completing this feat to keep a tab on his health and blood pressure. The public is also gathering to see Mukund achieve this landmark. His friends are coming and bowling to him & even the local kids who come to practice at Shivaji Park are contributing in their capacity (kids coming and bowling to Mukund gawade) Many reporters and politicians have also paid a visit to him so far.
When Cricketgraph asked what urged him to do all this? Mukund simply replied it was the condition of the kids in the village which ignited the fire in him to do something for them & all the money and contributions which he will receive will go towards the betterment and education of the 100 kids in the Penan Village.
Mukund who had aimed to practice for 100 hours non-stop was advised to stop on the grounds of health being at stake. His health was at risk so he stopped at 2am in the Monday night practicing for 72 hours, 29minutes and 29seconds. Though he has broken the earlier world record of Viraj Mare of 50hours but they are yet to intimate Guiness about Viraj’s feat.
Mukund who works with Samanway Sanstha for his social causes (including this project of providing education to 100 kids) must be elated and proud of Mukund’s heroics.
Rajesh Mehta, the CEO of SASA Brand (which is known for cricketing equipments) also supported mukund extremely well. Be it bringing and arranging equipments or things which were quite a help to him. Rajesh Mehta who is a lover of cricket himself motivated mukund & supported this noble cause with full heart.
Cricketgraph truly appreciates Mukund’s efforts and we are sure the whole of India must be proud of what he is doing.
Pace, swing and bounce when combined creates a lethal potion and Rohan Raje seemed to have all these 3 ingredients mixed in the right proportion for his opponents – Fort Vijay. It was the much awaited finals for Purshottam shield played at Wankhade Stadium between the mighty Payyade Sports Club against Fort Vijay.
Payyade Sports club skipper, Onkar Khanvilkar won the toss and elected to bowl first. He threw the red cherry to his trusted bowler, Rohan Raje. Rohan took 3 overs to strike the first blow and from that point onwards it was all over for Fort Vijay.
Rohan single handedly tore apart the Fort Vijay line up picking up 7 wickets for 30 runs.
Most of these 7 wickets were either caught behind or lbw’s , which simply goes to show the immaculate line, length and consistency of his bowling. Sanket Bhaye, Pratik Prabhu and Rahul Laad were some of the established batsmen who were victim to Raje’s amazing spell.
“It was a good wicket to bowl on and to be honest, wicket did support the pace bowlers. I would have been more pleased to get these wickets against some of the current ranji batsmen, but 7 wickets are 7 wickets and I had to work really hard for it. My previous best was picking up 8 wickets a while back in kanga tournament, so this achievement surely stands as one of the best performances”, said Raje while speaking to cricketgraph team.
When asked about this chances of playing in the upcoming IPL, he has his finger crossed. “I have been in the Mumbai Indians team in the past but injuries kept me away from competitive cricket. However now I m completely fit and raring to go, so I am hoping my recent performances are considered “ said Raje with a smile.
Payyade club won the finals on first innings. For vijay team was 59/10 in 21.3 overs and Payyade sports club scored 148/2 in 49 overs. Arman Jaffer remained not out on 46 and Onkar Khanvilkar scored 41)
It was expected to be an exciting encounter between Sacred heart and Anjuman Islam but things just did not fell into place the way Sacred Heart would have wished for. Winning the toss, Anjuman Islam elected to bat first as they have a deep and solid batting line up and were confident of putting up a big score on the scorecard.
Batting first did reaped them rewards as Anjuman Islam made a mammoth 389 in just 42 overs. Left handed Bablu scored an aggressive 84 at the top of the order & so did his opening partner Farhan Sheikh who gave a good support for his brazen 45. Both the kids were responsible to instill a positive momentum in the batting. Such was the positive momentum they were in, no.4 batsman Naseerudin Shaikh made the full use of it to score a match winning knock of 164. The right handed aggressive batsman toyed with the bowlers and smashed boundaries and sixes at will against spinners as well as fast bowlers. It was because of his 164, Anjuman Islam reached a huge score of 389 in just 42 overs. Even after getting out at 164 Naseerudin Shaikh was not content with his score as few overs were still left & he could have taken his team to cross the record 400 run mark and also cross his double century. But, that hardly takes away the fact that it was a splendid knock coming from just an 11 year old.
Chasing 390, Sacred Heart needed to play aggressive crickete to win the match & they succumbed to the pressure and some good bowling by the Anjuman Islam boys. Both bablu and Naseerudin again became the heroes with right arm leg spinner Bablu taking 4/25 in 5 overs while right arm medium fast Naseerudin chipping in with 2 wickets for just 25 runs. Sacred heart were all out for just 74 runs and Anjuman islam won by a very huge margin(in fact one of the record margins) by 315 runs. Anjuman Islam School Navi Mumbai has the winner of last year 2015-16 inter school winner Under 16 and Under 14 Tournament in the guidance of Coach Mr. Manoj B. Lokhande.
It was a wonderful all round display by both the kids and especially the talented Naseerudin who gave us glimpses of his exceptional batting talent at such a small age. Naseerudin was rightly adjudged ‘man of the match’ for his all round performance.
After a clean win against Sacred heart school, Anjuman Islam and Naseerudin specifically will progress ahead in the tournament with a lot of confidence.
Into their 2nd match(for Sunil Gavaskar’s XI) of the IDBI under 14 tournament, two strong teams entered in an exciting face off namely Sunil Gavaskar’s XI & Ravi Shastri’s XI. Sunil Gavaskar’s XI wanted to bat first and luckily even after losing the toss they got what they wanted as Ravi Shastri’s XI elected to field first.
Sunil Gavaskar’s XI played good cricket and made a partially competitive score of 282 on the board. OM Sai was the top scorer in the first innings with a fluent 86 off just 111 balls. The knock was laced with 11 boundaries & he was pleasing to the eyes while batting. Openers Aditya Warang and Shubham Girkar also gave a good start with both the batsman scoring 62(168b) and 40(77b) respectively. Spinner Aman Maniar from Ravi Shastri’s XI was the saving grace picking up 5/58.
Trailing 282, Ravi Shastri’s XI was bundled out for just 109 runs. Left arm spinner and also their skipper Aayush Zimare bowled amazingly well and took a fifer with the ball. Zimare’s match winning efforts of 5/24 dented the hopes of Ravi Shastri’s XI to win the match. Out of the 5 wickets, he clean bowled 3 times which was quite amazing. Aayush considers stock ball (the type of ball (such as an off break) that a particular bowler most frequently bowls) as his weapon to deceive the batsman.
Sunil Gavaskar were 100 for no loss with their openers Aditya (37*) and Shubham(52*) again putting up a good show before the match ended in a draw. The match was drawn but Sunil Gavaskar’s XI were anyday the better performers in the match & looked like worthy winners. Sunil Gavaskar XI’s coach Javed sir was happy with his team’s performance & skipper Aayush also played the role of captain to perfection.
Their next match is against Dilip Vengsarkar’s XI and they will surely give a good time to the opponents as the whole team is looking in a good form.