Winning or losing is part of a game we say. But there is vast difference between winning and losing. Everyone always wants to be on the former side than the latter. It doesn’t matter whether you lose by a single run or you lose by quite significant margin, a defeat is a defeat. How many of us always tend to imagine oneself at the place of a person who is receiving the winner’s trophy? Well almost all of us. Dream Sports Organizers have resolved this thing when they introduced a loser’s trophy. Does that mean that a team will get a trophy even after they lose? Certainly not. Mr. Harish from Dream Sports explains about the working and overall organization of Dream Sports.
“We started organizing cricket tournaments 17 years ago with 16 teams to begin with. Our organization and tournaments got good coverage in Times of India, Hindustan Times and several other newspapers. From then it started growing. Now more than 100 corporate teams play in tournaments organized by us. This is our 18th season we have started from 2nd October and it will go on till the May ending.”
“We organize 4 to 5 T20 tournaments and one 40 over tournament. Till few years ago, there was only one major tournament which was Times shield. Teams losing in 1st round had nothing to do after that. Compared to that T20 has become a popular format in corporate teams since the time it was started. It is short and people enjoy it. Almost half of the corporate players play only in T20s,” said Mr.Harish.
When asked about the interesting concept of loser’s trophy Mr.Harish said, ”That’s one of the good things invented by us in tournament organization according to me. Earlier we used to organize tournaments on league basis where teams used to play in round robin fashion. If there are 4 teams in a group and one team is already out of the tournament then that team was not interested in playing the final game, that is, say 3rd game of their group matches. It was a dead rubber game for them. Sometimes they didn’t even turn up for such matches. It used to affect the opponent team badly as they couldn’t get a chance to improve their net run rate. Hence we restructured the format of tournament. Now the top 2 teams qualify for the knock outs from each group for main trophy and the remaining teams from all groups play for a loser’s trophy. In this way everyone started enjoying their cricket.”
In past 17 years they have been the main pioneers in different changes in cricket tournament organizations. “We organize tournaments mainly at Azad Maidan, Oval and Cross maidan. These venues combine to form a heart of local cricket in Mumbai. If for any match umpire doesn’t turn up then we can quickly find the replacement. That’s the advantage of organizing tournaments at these venues from our point of view,” said Mr. Harish.
They have seen so many players in past 17 years playing in their tournaments. There have been few teams and players who are performing quite consistently over the years. “I think Reliance capital is one of the best teams. But they have got few professional players in their squad. Apart from that Airtel is also a good team. Airtel
guys win at least 1 to 2 titles every year as per my observations. There is a player called as Jitesh who is performing consistently. Last season he got two man of the series awards. Sandesh Amrute is another player from Reliance capital. I think these two are the strong pillars of the two teams mentioned earlier,” said Mr.Harish.
Harish himself was a batsman and he played for Business India firm. He is extremely passionate about cricket. “I always like to play cricket but I am not a professional. I am enjoying my job as an organizer. Because of such tournaments now teams have started recruiting professional players. We also organize tournaments a particular company for their inter department matches. There are lots of benefits which companies and employees get. The team building activity takes plays when everyone is at same level and there is no hierarchy. Many companies have got branches in Mumbai, Pune and Nashik. For such tournaments they come together at one place and get to know about each other. We just want to continue the tradition of last 17 years and we are looking forward for this brand new season,” said Mr.Harish.
You must have heard about working in shifts, haven’t you? But have you ever heard about a tournament that goes on till midnight? Well surely not. When the ICC is doing so much of brain storming over day-night tests, Jitesh Khanna- an organizer from Delhi has implemented the tedious looking job of organizing tournament that goes on till mid night. “Usually we start at 8 in the evening and then tournament goes on till 2 am in mid night. That was first ever full night tournament,” said Jitesh.
Having played cricket for his school, college and West Delhi cricket club, cricket has been an integral part of Jitesh’s life. Jitesh himself was
an excellent batsman he used to open with Virat Kohli for about 6 months at West Delhi Cricket Club. “After completing my education, I played for Bank of America’s cricket team. In that way I was always in touch with the game. Experienced lots of thrill and fun while I was there. I completed my MBA and then started looking after events. At that point I got this idea of organizing sports tournaments. And that’s how it all began.”
The very first match of the very first tournament organized by him was an extraordinary experience for Jitesh. “That was the very first game which I organized. It was intra company tournament which was organized for Fractal Analytics. Batting team was 7 down and still they were short by almost 180 odd runs. The No.8 and No.9 batsman made that big partnership and eventually they won! It was a limited overs leather ball tournament, “explained Jitesh.
Jitesh started it a year ago under the name of “Advaita Events”. They organize sports events for Cricket, Football and Badminton. But their main focus has been cricket since they started. “I have seen so many teams participating in tournaments organized by us. Amongst them the teams of Bank Of America and Serco are the best ones. They are improving their game day by day and they have lots of professionalism in them. Most importantly they enjoy their cricket. Watching them play is always a fun,” said Jitesh.
The tournament might last for a short duration of time but there is lots of hard work and thought process which takes place at back end. “While organizing any tournament we start about 2 months ago. We make sure that ground is booked well in advance,” said Jitesh. Instead of making tournaments monotonous, they try to make the game more interesting. “I always think ki is bar naya kya kar sakte hai?” said Jitesh. “We don’t alter the format of the game much. But we always look for the add-ons which we can provide with cricket. I think too many changes might spoil the recipe at times so we stick with the format of the game like a 20 over game or a 45 over game etc. “
Till now they were looking only after corporate cricket but now they have started to organize club cricket tournaments as well. “We have just started it. Our main aim is to give a chance to new clubs who have been formed recently or clubs which are in still its formation stage” said Jitesh. Recently the winner of their tournament won a Thailand trip! Apart from that Jitesh thinks that it helps companies to build a team spirit within their employees.
“To be a good organizer one should have a great passion towards the game. That person should be ready to do any kind of work. Even when I go at ground, I do all sort of works right from arranging chairs to inspecting the pitch,” said Jitesh. Having made a good name in Delhi NCR now he is looking to expand his sports events globally. They are planning a tournament in Thailand. So next time you win a tournament here, you might get a chance to go to Thailand where again you can play in tournament and win the trip to some another location! Keep an eye on these tournaments.
It is that time of the year! As we say adios to rain, a fresh smell of leather balls, newly purchased bats and green
top wickets are all set to welcome a brand new season of cricket in Mumbai. The kids are looking to excel to higher levels by performing in two of the most prestigious tournaments in school cricket- The Giles Shield and The Harris Shield. This might be the first Giles shield for someone or there might be few who will be playing in both of them and some will be looking to give a final punch as they will be playing for the last time in these tournaments. Behind the success of these tournaments lies a hard work; hard work of a man who has been involved with MSSA cricket operations for as many as 48 years!
Mr.Bhor who is a secretary of MSSA says that every season is different and there is always an alacrity when it comes to cricket. The Harris Shield & Giles Shield will be starting from 7th November. “Till last year the teams were classified in plate and elite group but this season we have change the format. This time all teams will play a limited overs matches till quarter finals. Then the quarter final winners will be promoted to elite group and losers will play semis and final. Thus now there are 16 teams in 4 different groups so ultimately we will have 4 teams in elite group who will be playing for shield on League basis. This will be the general structure of tournament, “explained Mr.Bhor.
Just like the tournaments, the grounds where these tournaments are organized also have a special importance. Most of the matches are played at the mecca of Mumbai cricket which is Azad maidan. Along with that matches will take place at Oval maidan, Cross maidan, Shivaji park, Matunga’s Major Dadkar ground etc. The final will be played at CCI,Brabourne.
“There have been many changes which have taken place in these tournaments.
The MSSA is well equipped with technology when it comes to maintaining records. All the data is available with them in terms of runs scored & wickets taken. “We have created a separate instance for every player who plays in elite group. We have classified the player as per batsman, bowler and all rounder. At the end of the tournament we give prizes to top performers. It encourages them to perform good again and again. We have got Mr. Deepak Talim who looks after all these records’” said Mr.Bhor.
There have been few problems which are faced by players over the years now. MSSA is looking after all these issues and trying to sort them out. “The main issue while playing in these grounds is the supply of pure water. At Azad and Cross ground we have installed a drinking water facility and at Oval we provide them water during drinks break. Also there is a chance of a player suffering from injury in match due to poor outfield or getting hit by the ball from another match. Attempts are being made to provide a doctor for all games. MCA also send one doctor at each ground,” said Mr.Bhor
He has been there for almost 50 years now. He has seen few generations of players passing through these tournaments and then going on to represent the nation. “These tournaments have a long tradition players like Vengsarkar, Sanjay Majrekar, Sachin Tendulkar, Vinod Kambli and many others showed the glimpses of their talent in these tournaments. I am really enjoying my work and our aim is to provide more and more facilities to players so that we can produce quality cricketers for our country,” said Mr. Bhor
Back in 1989, Lord Northbrook Cricket Club, one of the famous clubs at Azad Maidan appointed a new curator-Mr.Ravi. Since then he has been there looking after the pitch of their club. He has seen couple of generations pass through that place and he admits that a lot has been changed since the time he joined. “I am in business for last 25 years. Since the time I started my job as curator, I have been associated with Lord Northbrook Cricket Club. There has been a special bond with this wicket and with this club as well for me. The methods then were a lot different. Having said that I don’t really think that it has changed a lot when it comes to nature of pitch. It is as good as what it was for all those previous years,” said Mr. Ravi.
“During the start of Kanga league the top of wicket looks green which is but obvious. There is good amount of grass on outfield too. We have to ensure that there is no small pit anywhere in the outfield. It might harm a player while he is fielding. In Kanga league the wicket favors bowlers and then it remains neutral, “said the curator.
“I have seen that teams are opting to ball first here in Kanga league matches. Most of them are ending on winning side. I think naturally since beginning this pitch becomes lively when it rains. In one the matches in Kanga league last year a team was bowled out twice meaning the 3 innings were completed in one and half days. Certainly this is a result oriented wicket and hence teams look forward to play here as they can earn those crucial points by winning the games here.”
Mr. Ravi never played cricket with leather ball but he has a good knowledge about the soil quality. “Initially it looked like a tedious process but now having done this for 25 years everything looks like a cake walk. We can make any kind of pitch at the same place if we are specially instructed in that manner. After almost one and half months of the start of season that is somewhere in mid-November it doesn’t provide much help to bowlers. Hence I said it remains neutral and winning or losing a game completely depends on your capabilities,” said Mr.Ravi.
Ravi says that he would certainly like to see greener outfield even after rainy season has ended. “Now we see that everywhere grass is spread nicely. But it becomes difficult to maintain this look of ground once the rain has stopped. Many people pass through this outfield daily and hence the grass can’t sustain here. We see that in other countries they have green outfields even for club games. We are making an effort to achieve the same thing. It will be beneficial for players to field there and they can learn new techniques of fielding which are seen regularly at international levels. Grass will also avoid the injuries to these players,” explained Mr.Ravi.
Ravi said that MCA has been providing soil to put in the outfield currently. Because of that the curator’s job is made simpler. “My aim to provide a quality wicket and good outfield as well for my club. So that we can produce cricketers to match the international quality. I just hope that this wicket will maintain its reputation as bowler’s friendly wicket at least in Kanga league.” Said Mr. Ravi. Ravi’s ideas can turn out to be revolutionary as we can see outfields getting better on the main grounds in the city.
Cricketers who are passionate about the game work hard in nets. Some of them start the net session in early morning while some take it till late in the afternoon. But there is someone who wakes up before them, reaches ground and ensures the smooth conduct of a practice session or a match. It’s none other than the curator of those 22 yards where cricket is actually played. Ramu Kaka who is doing curatorship for United cricketers club talks about his experience over the years.
“I joined the club as a curator back in 1991. Things were a lot different then. We had no tool nor the proper soil to make the pitch. In the outfield during kanga league matches the grass was denser and ball often used to get lost in it. Things are lot better now. We are having good tools to work with. We are getting soil from the MCA and the outfield is now much clearer. Acche se accha pitch banake de taki player ko kuch problem na ho, yahi humara kam hai,” said the curator.
The work for preparing pitches starts much before the actual beginning of season. The season kicks off with Kanga league in September end but the work for preparing pitch starts in June itself. “As the season ends in May we make sure that all things are in place which we will be needing to make a new square. In June we start the work by digging the square. After that we let the rain do its work. It’s a bit complicated process but one gets used to it after doing it for so many years. Our mentor Mr.Godbole provides us everything we want. Now because of change in structure of tournament the wickets are quite dry at the start of Kanga league as the rainy season almost ends by that time, “Said Ramu Kaka.
His expertise in curatorship had made him earn an award for best pitch for two consecutive years. In 2002 and 2003 the pitch prepared by him was selected as best pitch during the times shield and he received the award from Mr.Chandu Borde. “Nature of the pitch depends on rolling and watering. Pitch should be evenly rolled to get a proper bounce. Also less water makes it too dry and more water makes it sloppy. There should be adequate amount of water used while preparing a pitch. We create pitches according to demand. Some want a green pitch while some are looking for a pata wicket. Same thing applies to practice wickets. It is well known that a grassy pitch favors the bowler. Mostly during Kanga league pitches have a grass on the top. We usually expect heavy runs by batsman on a pata wicket,” said Ramu kaka.
“When any player or captain goes to inspect the pitch, they try to test it using their fingers. Most of the time it’s the figure that gets pressed and not the pitch. They do wrong assumption based on this that the wicket is little moist and it might keep low. To test a wicket before a match one should use coin or keys.”
Over the years he has seen so many players coming to ground and perfecting their technique in the nets. “After watching so many player now I get to know what kind of player he is just by having a look at his technique. I still remember Zaheer Khan when he used to come at Oval maidan for practice Net me bowling dalte waqt har 6 ball me 3-4 wicket to nikal hi deta tha. Players like Ketan Panchal, Bhavesh Patel who are from our club have went to play in Ranji trophy,”said Ramu Kaka
Ramu kaka has also made pitches for National Cricket Club and for Worali Cricket Club. On every Monday of week the rest day is there when no matches are played and he takes care of the outfield. In the end Ramu kaka tells an important mantra for preparing a good pitch. “As I said, Pitch should be rolled properly and should not remain porous. That’s the key thing to prepare a good pitch”
Some people tend to think that curatorship is a job of experience person who has spent some significant years on cricket field and someone who knows well about soil and water. This assumption is proved wrong by a young lad as he is now preparing pitches for United Cricket Club. After playing cricket for few years Ajit’s career took a u turn as he started to prepare pitches instead of going and playing on it. “I just joined a year ago. I am still a novice in this field. I used to play cricket before but I was going nowhere as a cricketer. So I decided to have a go at curatorship. I am now enjoying my job,” said the youngster.
It was not easy for him to come into this field and prepare pitches. “I used to play cricket so I was well aware about the basic requirements while making a pitch. I have played on so many different kind of pitches. It really helps having played cricket earlier. You know what exactly the players are expecting from pitch. Pitch plays an important role in any game. It’s our duty that the standard of a pitch will be maintained throughout the game. It is a huge responsibility which my club has put on my shoulders,” said Ajit.
“Frankly speaking the geographical location doesn’t matter much while preparing pitch. We can make any kind of pitch at any part of the world. Of course the work force and time required might vary but it is quite possible. Currently we make pitch as per demand of the players for the private tournaments or non MCA matches. For tournaments organized by MCA like Kanga league or Times shield, I prepare pitches according to my opinion.”
Ajit talked about the pitch of Union Cricket Club which he is made ready for new season by him recently. “This pitch is a good pitch. It has excellent bounce and there is no real covering of grass. But as per my observation, teams prefer batting first here after winning the toss. Overall this wicket is sporting wicket, the bounce remains even throughout the match. The response from player has been very nice about this wicket. I always like when I hear them saying that the wicket was fantastic after the match”
Ajit shared some key tips which makes the pitch bouncy. “I think it depends on which roller you use. We use a heavy roller here and role frequently so that the surface becomes flat and hard. We use normal Lal Mitti to prepare the pitch here this also helps getting a good bounce. According to me, the heavier and bigger roller you use, you can extract more bounce from the wicket. The very top layer of wicket plays key role in deciding the behavior of ball after pitching on surface. That’s why you need to have it firm and hard. This can be achieved by using heavier roller,”said Ajit.
On normal days he starts his work early in the morning. “For Kanga league the outfield gets disturbed a lot. So we have to put the soil to level it. Currently the pitch is a fresh one. We started making it May ending. It’s a 2 month long process we dig the square then put some grass in it and then do some covering of soil after few rains. This wicket works fine for entire season. Only the grass gets deteriorating. So we work on that to get some fresh grass on top of wicket. I am also getting good assistance from senior curators who are here with me. They are always around and tell me different tricks for preparing a pitch. I am looking forward to this new season. Every season teaches you some new things and I am just eager to learn all those things,”said the youngster.
In 1974, when India was yet to win a world cup, when Sachin Tendulkar had not hold a cricket bat in his hand, When Mumbai’s cricket was at its prime, there was a man who was looking to accommodate himself in his new job, a job of a curator. Today after 40 years he has become a well-known face in Mumbai’s maidans. Munshilal Jaiswal who is currently looking after the pitches of two clubs- Times of India and Bohra CC says that you won’t find a man who is working for this long at this ground. Needless to say that this has to be true. Mr. Jaiswal shared his journey of a curatorship which began long ago.
“I have been preparing pitches for last 40 years. I have had various kinds of experiences over the period of time. I met so many people, saw lots of players starting as a novice cricketers and then conquering the world. I am glad that most of them played on pitches made by me and appreciated the wicket. So many different kind of wickets I have prepared till now. I can provide any kind of wicket to the players. It all depends on what kind of wicket they want to play on, “said the maestro.
Mr. Jaiswal talked about the pitches of Times of India and Boraa CC as well. “In monsoon that is for Kanga league there is good amount of grass on both these pitches. After rains both wickets become pata wickets. This has been the general trend over the years. These wickets are batsman’s paradise as batsman often pile up heaps of runs here. Though these are pata wickets there is no general trend of opting to bat first after winning the toss here. I think it completely depends on how the captain thinks and what team combinations they have. In these days on good batting pitches also teams prefer chasing. We have seen this at international level as well,” saidMr. Jaiswal.
They are putting good amount of efforts on outfield as well. “I think most of the times outfield gets neglected by the curators and they focus on main square. That is not a correct thing according to me. An outfield is as important as the main square. We do leveling at the grounds of our club by putting good amount of soil. Almostevery day I do inspection to check whether there is any damage to any part of outfield and whether it needs to be levelled again,” said Mr. Jaiswal.
“The preparation process every year begins in May. We start by putting new soil in outfield and then dig the main square. The wicket takes its shape in September for Kanaga league matches. These wickets lose their robustness till March when two third of season is almost completed. We have to do repairing work then. We also have special mentors who guide us on how wicket should be prepared.”
Mr. Jaiswal himself used to play cricket from Bora CC. Unlike others he doesn’t think that there is any help a curator gets just because he has played cricket earlier. “I have heard lots of people saying that they do well as a curator just because they have played cricket earlier. Yes we do get a basic knowledge but preparing a pitch is way too different than playing cricket. This job is very crucial as 22 yards can decide a fate of a cricketer. We have to be always on our toes. If any ball misbehaves during a match then we take it very seriously and take the precautions to prevent it from happening again. If there is bad bounce or anything like that then it can cause a serious injury to a player,” explained Mr. Jaiswal.
He told about his memorable experience when he saw one world record being made at Azad maidan. “I have seen that partnership of Tendulkar and Kambli. Both of them along with many others have played on the pitches made by me. But that partnership took place on one of the wicket which was adjacent to my club’s wicket. These are the times when you think why it hasn’t happened on a pitch made by me,” saysMr. Jaiswal. With his enthusiasm for cricket and passion to provide a quality pitch to cricketers, it is sure that soon he will be celebrating his golden jubilee year as a curator.
Amongst the local cricket of Bangalore, corporate team of Redbus.in is making some name for themselves. One of the prime reasons for that is their dynamic captain Uday. “During one of the internal tournaments at Redbus.in many of the unearthed players were discovered and we founded a team. In a short span of one year we have done really well and have played some good cricket. We play in both Tennis and Leather ball cricket. So we play during entire year, “said Uday.
“Playing in corporate tournaments and leading the team has been a wonderful experience. There are so many quality players in corporate cricket and tournaments have got very competitive nature. There is lots of transparency between organizers and participating teams. We have been participating in tournaments organized by IDPS Bangalore and NM events”
Uday who is an all rounder has been leading his team since beginning. “It’s been a pleasure captaining bunch of 16-20 guys. Now cricket has become a routine for us. We practice 1-2 times a week. The management has been supportive, they provide us uniforms and all the other necessary things,” said Uday. There were few interesting matches which went down to wire. Uday shared his experience of those matches. “We were playing in Garden city college event. Opponent needed 9 runs in last over and we successfully defended that score and won the match. In IDPS tournament, we were runners up but that was a dramatic final. Our 4 players were injured because the entire tournament took place in just 2 days. Runners up. We scored 50 in 10 overs and we had opponent at 30 after 9 overs. But in last over we gave away couple of sixes and that turned the game around”
According to Uday, team of HP and HGS are the toughest to beat. He plays cricket all over Bangalore but the Koormanglas ground and HMT ground are his favorites. They travel to various different cities like Hydrabad, Mysore and Delhi for playing in tournaments. During past year they have been out of the city for about 7 to 8 times for playing cricket. Uday thinks that the main reason of success for his team is the quality of their players. “We have some quality all rounders, five extremely good bowlers and we bat deep. In fact all the 11 players from our team can bat. The team has good combination of some big hitters and classical players. As a captain it is always handy to have such a balanced unit,”said Uday. The achievement of this team is quite redoubtable. They have reached the finals on as many as 12 occasions. Out of which they won 7 tournaments. “Yes we have performed really well and because of that now a wide range of opportunities are coming our way. Initially we got a good support from organizers like IDPS, One World of Sports etc. They have been the organizers. We also got good support from cricketgraph.com. We did find lots of tournaments from the cricketgraph website. Cricketgraph has indeed played an important role in our success” said Uday.
Now his team is looking to keep the same quality in their performance and they looking to go a level up. “We can have something like IPL or Champions League at local level. Wherein the winners and runners up from different cities will compete against each other. That will be a good platform to showcase the talent. Because of our success in cricket now the company has formed teams for different sports like table Tennis, Football, Chess etc.Till now we got the right people in every aspect. The players, the management, the resources of finding different tournaments and what not. Now we are really looking forward to make some name for ourselves and for our company too, “said Uday. With their strong desire and their dynamic captain, this team has a potential to become one of the best in the business.
The cricket season is about to start and teams are warming up before the actual corporate games. Game On recently organized an indoor cricket tournament and The TCS team emerged as winners. “It’s a really nice tournament. The organization was extremely good and rules & regulations were quite easy to understand. We have been participating in this tournament for past 2 years. We have won it now for two consecutive years. It is always good if you start your season with such kind of victory. It gives a moral boost and every player gets charged up,” said Kiran who is TCS Mumbai’s sports manager.
Having taken this position of sports manager, Kiran and his team have achieved many feats on cricket field. “I took over in 1999-2000 since then we have participated in various tournaments like Times Shield, Inter TATA corporate tournaments, various T20 tournaments and 7-a side games” said Kiran. Their players were outstanding in recently concluded indoor tournament. “Sachin Sakpal bowled really well and he was very economical especially during powerplays. Talking about batting, Ravi was our star batsman. He remained not out throughout the tournament. Though it was a tennis ball tournament, same bunch of players play in leather ball tournament as well. Normally we have a squad of 16 to 18 players and there is proper selection process that takes place to decide the squad. Depending on performance we pick the final 11,” said Kiran.
They have been the runners up of Times shield F division. And in 2012 they won Inter TATA corporate tournament due to which they were promoted to group A from group B. They have also won a 7 a side tournament organized by Austin airlines and many more T20 tournaments they have won. “Due to our work schedule practicing and playing in tournaments is a challenging task. Still for the passion of the game everyone adjust their timings. There are people who practice after their work hours get finish, some guys play matches and after that go to office. They adjust their shifts accordingly. Apart from that there is regular practice on weekends when usually there is a holiday,” said Kiran.
“We don’t have the same squad since beginning. There are some new players who join us through selection process. So the team is different every year. It’s always nice to interact with new players and making them part of our team. That helps as a team building activity for employees as well. After working for 5 days a week, 2 days of cricket is certainly a refreshing activity for everyone”
Kiran, who is a bowling all rounder tells a success mantra of his team. “We have a perfect combination of batsman, bowlers and all rounders. Our captain Ameya Wanjare is an excellent leader and his glove work behind the stumps has been exceptionally well. Then our vice captain Umar who is a left arm bowler is also doing pretty well. Pritam Singh has also been outstanding with the ball. Talking about batting, Pradeep Shergey scored 4 half centuries in last season. He joined us a year ago and he is going well. Also Prasad Madnak was nominated as best batsman when we were runners up in Times shield F division. There are so many names to take. Many of them have performed for us over the years.”
According to Kiran Root SNA team is one the toughest to beat. “We played them about 2 years ago. Now they are in D division of Times shield and they participate in higher level tournaments now. Also InTelenet is another good team. Now they play in upper division of Times Shield. In our division I think Capgemini, HP and Sony Entertainment are good teams,” said Kiran.
Kiran told about one of his memorable experience,” about 5-6 years ago we were playing final of polycom match at D.Y Patil college ground. We were batting first and the score was 60 for 5, I and Ameya Wanjare were at crease. We took the score to 120 odd runs in 20 overs. The opponent was ICICI. We kept the screws tight and on last ball they needed 2 runs to win. But they could manage only a single and based on run rate we won that match and the tournament as well.” This season TCS are looking for the title that they missed out few years back- The F division championship of Times shield. As preparations are on high it will be interesting to see if they can add this to their trophy cabinet this season.
An ex Ranji Trophy cricketer, with an intention of giving something back to cricket, started a firm called as Eventus. Founded in 2001, Eventus now has experience of organizing sports events for more than 13 years. Abhilash Chopra who was a former Ranji Trophy player has been the founder of Eventus. At Eventus tournaments for various sports like Badminton, Chess, Carrom, Athletics, Squash are organized. “I used to play for Railways in Ranji trophy. I played for the last time in a first class game back in 1993-94. After retiring from Railways, I did some research and then came into this field of sports recreation and organization,” said Abhilash.
Over the years, in this journey of organizing sports events, Eventus has reached significant number of milestones. In 2009 the tournament organized by them had 63 teams participating in it. It was a record which got special attention from Limca book. Next year the same tournament reached their apogee when total of 64 teams participated in it. “We have been organizing events for various corporate teams now. We organize sports events for companies like Airtel, Erricson, Accenture etc, “said Abhilash.
“These corporate companies organize various sports events mainly for providing fun & recreation for their employees. Basically it is an HR activity. At Eventus, we put the record about past tournaments on our website. It helps participating teams to know their opponent well. All they have to do is just visit our website”
Eventus has been the pioneer in applying creative ideas and make little modifications in the format of game. Talking about cricket they have introduced some interesting variations in it. “At the corporate cricket we were the first who introduced net run rate system as well as the bonus points system. We have one more unique concept and that is the ‘Super Sub’. In this a team nominates 12 players instead of 11. If they are bowling first then they can include 12th man in as a bowler and while batting he can be replaced by a batsman,” explained Abhilash.
Having had the experience of Ranji trophy, Abhilash brought the concept of classifying teams into various groups depending on their performance into corporate cricket. “We classify the teams in 3 divisions-Cup, Plate and Shiled.Due to this the equality is maintained in the game. Every team gets a fair chance to compete according o their capabilities. The participating teams should enjoy their day. If you put one of the strongest against one of the weakest team then it makes no sense,” explained Abhilash. Various teams have been participating in Eventus tournaments for a long time now. “Genpact has been associated with us since beginning. Teams of ICICI, Opto group, Indian Air Force have been performing quite consistently.
Eventus used to organize 25 overs matches initially for corporate tournaments. But now taking popularity of T20 into consideration they organize a T20 tournaments when it comes to cricket. Mr. Abhilash feels that the success of Eventus is due to their dedication, team work and their understanding of game. He said, “At Eventus we take care that no professional players are involved in any team. We don’t entertain any kind of indiscipline on field. The scorers and officials are fantastic at Eventus that’s the prime reason of our success”
After having so much experience under their belt, now they are planning to go beyond the boundaries of India. “We are planning to organize a tournament in USA. I have seen that people over there are keen about cricket but they don’t get a chance to show their talent. I am expecting a participation of 6 teams to whom we will provide clothing & Food.” Eventus had 16 teams participating in a tournament that took place in 2001 now they have 64 teams participating. The graph of their progress has always been going upwards. They have organized about 700-800 tournaments by now and their enthusiasm for sports is really fascinating as Mr. Abhilash says “Once a sportsman is always a sportsman”.