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From a budding coach who has helped young cricketers accelerate in their game to assisting players in their careers to find the right team. Jayesh Kulkarni has been one coach with numerous caps to his name.

For the uninitiated, Jayesh Kulkarni is an MCA Level O and Kites Level II (Under National Skill Development Corporation) certified cricket coach training young players since almost a decade. The Kites Level 2 Course he had learned under the aegis of John Gloster (Former Trainer with India Cricket Team & currently with Rajasthan Royals) & Dinesh Nanavati (National Cricket Academy)  where many of the great coaches of Mumbai as well as of India have trained under him. Jayesh has also trained under various coaches including Dr.Sanjay Bharadwaj sir (Level 3 BCCI, NIS & Phd) Vidhyadhar Paradkar sir who he believes have helped him a lot in the recent years in increasing his skills. Jayesh is also the Assistant head coach at Sri Ma Gurukul Cricket Academy & Euro School Thane. Jayesh is also the Assistant Head Coach at the Rajawadi Cricket Academy. Jayesh has also received training multiple times under the legendary Amol Muzumdar this year and he feels lucky that

The great Amol Muzumdar teaching kids at Rajawadi CC

Amol Muzumdar sir in his free time imparts training without even charging a penny in his academy. Fitness Coach Ajit Kulkarni who is associated with Adidas has trained Prithvi Shaw and many top level athletes at the National level also trains the students at the Rajawadi Cricket Club. Ajit’s inputs on fitness and prevention from injuries has helped the kids in the academy a lot.

Speaking with Cricketgraph-Jayesh said the MCA registered Rajawadi Cricket Club has great history, Apart from Tendulkar since 1990, many players from Mumbai or Maharashtra who have represented Indian or Ranji team has represented Rajawadi cricket team at some or the other stage and that is a matter of pride for us.

When asked which tournaments his academy has won so far-Jayesh explained the whole system to us.

We have won Thosar Shield in 2018 and we were runners up in 2017. We were the runners up in Mahim Dadar Challenge Shield’17 representing Baronet CC and while representing Prabhu Jolly Young Cricketers we got promoted from E to F Division in Kanga league. We won kanga knockout twice is last ten years but got relegated from Kanga League because we believe in building the players and the team rather than hiring professional players & a temporary team. With that approach we have progressed so far but could’nt survive in the Kanga Div G. The reason we were not able to survive in Kanga is we don’t pressurize our players or restrict them to the same club, at the same time we don’t hire professional players to represent our team, rather we allow our students to play for our team. We promote and allow them to play for bigger clubs and higher divisions because for him and the academy- a player’s cricket career holds more importance than building his academy’s team”

We scout players across schools and colleges, then we train them making it an activity which is a part of our Rajawadi Cricket Academy.

Some of the recent examples he shared-

“This year we promoted our student Aditya Kolhatkar, he is getting trained under Amol Muzumdar! Amol sir saw him in the nets practicing during the afternoon time when it was too hot and he got immediately impressed by his dedication levels and his bowling skills. Amol Muzumdar then insisted coach Amit Dani to look after him after which Mr. Dani called the kid to Parel Sporting Nets at MIG, then he eventually took Aditya in the Parel Sporting Club team which is right now the top Div team in the Kanga League”

With Sumetra Paranjpe (Former India Women’s Cricketer and Harmanpreet Kaur-Current captain of Indian Team in T20’s

“Even the recent example of say Pradnya Bhagat, Jayesh took the 11yr old Girl at the TMGA Camp in DY Patil in its 1st edition and Bharat Ratna Sachin Tendulkar got so impressed by her, that Sachin Tendulkar himself quoted that this girl is the future of Indian Cricket team”

“Ritesh Patil is another player who has been doing good. For the betterment of their future we allow them to go and play for higher divisions. That is why we are not able to win the big tournamets as we are promoting our players to play for higher divisions and clubs rather than taking our team further.

What’s more, his activities are not just limited to coaching, he has always been a helping hand when it comes to helping players find the right team. Recently, he helped his childhood friend and India’s batting star Ajinkya Rahane bag a contract in Hampshire.

When asked more about it, he shared, Ajinkya was not able to get the contract done, last year also efforts were on for a county stint but because of his schedule, it was getting difficult but this year I am thankful to almighty we  recieved fruitful outcome of our efforts on assisting Ajinkya Rahane to bag a Hampshire contract.

Apart from that, Jayesh was also associated with Tendulkar Middlesex Global Academy in its 1st edition and at present actively associated with Middlesex County Cricket Club. Apart from that too, he has good networking skills in the cricketing ecosystem which often comes in handy.

Jayesh Kulkarni with Honourable Lalchand Rajput & Shri Sanjiv Mahadkar sir (President Rajawadi Cricket Club)

Another feather in the cap is his recent association with the Thane Eagle Strikers which is one of the teams this year in T20 Mumbai’19.

When asked about his future goals- My aim is to definitely help more and more cricketers grow in their careers with the help of my coaching skills and networking I possess, to help them find more and more opportunities & help them find the right teams. Jayesh also said I will try to grasp more knowledge & coaching skills as much as I can.

 

Jayesh with Brian Lara
Jayesh with Darshan Bhoir
Jayesh with Darshan Bhoir

Royal CC after opting to bat first notched up a total of 201 runs in 40.1 overs. Opener Suyash Ghegade scored a solid 54 runs off 80 balls (7 boundaries) continuing his good performance from the last match where he had taken 4 wkts in the semi-finals. Apart from him, Mandar Garude at the middle order chipped in with 48 runs. From the bowlers, Right arm medium pacer Rahul Kadam with 4/35 in 6.1 overs was the pick of the bowlers.

Captain Rahul kadam.. & victory after 35 years sporting c c champion
Captain Rahul Kadam. & Victory after 35 Years Sporting CC Champion

Chasing 202 with both the openers back with scoreboard just reading 13 runs, it was the 20yr old Gilchrist Prabhakar who scored a fluent 73 off mere 59 balls laced with 5 fours and 4 sixes turning the script as well as the momentum of the game. Despite a lack of support from the other end, he kept playing his natural cricket while Siddhesh Gayande at no.7 scored a match winning half century hitting 59*off 77 balls as Thane Sporting CC won the finals by 4 wkts and 8 overs to spare.

Gilchrist Prabhakar

Thane Sporting CC lift the prestigious Thosar Shield Trophy while it was crucial half centuries by Gilchrist and Siddhesh helping them chase the total with ease. 20yr old Gilchrist who has a career best score of 175 has already played in big tournaments like Kanga, Times Shield and many more. Let’s wish the youngster and as well as both the teams full of youngsters all the luck for a great career ahead.

Into the all important finals of the prestigious Kanga Knockout, Borivali CC after opting to bat first registered a total of 249/5 in 45 overs. The middle order played a handy role with Sushant Kadam (34), Abhinav Jagtap (41), Rakesh Naik (62) and Prathamesh Golatkar (37) providing handy contributions with the bat. From the bowlers, Akshay Ambike with 3/31 was the pick of the bowlers.

Chasing 250, Young National CC also had their middle order fighting it out with Omkar (32), Hanumant (51) and Dattaprasad (39) chipping in but they certainly required someone from these 3 to bat till the end as they were all out for 207 runs in 43.5 overs. Rakesh Naik and Vishal Kavaiya who are both left arm spinners were the pick of the bowlers chipping in with 3 wkts each as Borivali CC went on to win the finals and become the winners of the Kanga Knockout D Division.

Rakesh Naik

Skipper Rakesh Naik was leading from the front for Borivali CC & last year also he was leading the KRP 11 team which went on to become the champions.

North Mumbai Panthers batting first posted a decent total of 160/7 in 20 overs. It was a good start by the top order with opener Auti (31) and no.3 bat Karan Nande (40) top scoring the innings. Atif Attarwala’s late cameo down the order where he smashed 26* off just 10 balls further ensured that the team crossed the 150 run mark with ease. The experienced duo of left arm spinners Iqbal Abdullah (2/27) and Salil Agharkar (2/27) were the pick of the bowlers. For the uninitiated, Salil has also played for Maharashtra Ranji team!

With 3/1 and 41/3 at the end of the 9th over, the chips were already down and North Mumbai were looking clear favourites until Shubham Ranjane and Praful Waghela stitched a magical 113 run stand in mere 62 balls. Shubham scored a match winning 71* off 42 balls (5 fours, 3 sixes) while Praful Waghela scored 45 off 31 (3 fours, 1 six) before he unluckily got run out on the 116th ball of the game.

But the damage was already done by this too as Gaurav Jathar once again smashed the winning runs for his team! Shubham and Praful though may haven’t played too many games together but both are Mumbai players who have been toiling hard at the local level where many a times they may be pitted against one another. It was a match today full of experienced players showing their worth be it Iqbal or Salil with the ball and Shubham and Praful with the bat as Arcs Andheri won the match by 6 wkts.

Salil Agharkar
Iqbal Abdullah

Namo Bandra Blasters batting first were off to a dismal start with the top order failing to make much of an impact. However, Prasad Pawar and Sujit Nayak at the middle order resurrected the innings with a crucial partnership of 87 runs in the last 9 overs. Pawar remained unbeaten on 37* off 27 while Nayak brought up his 2nd half century scoring a matured knock of 54 runs in 35 balls as NAMO Bandra Blasters reached a total of 152/4 in 20 overs. Vijay Gohil and Shivam Dube with 2 wkts each were the pick of the bowlers.

Shivaji Park Lions who were stuggling at 12/3 in 5 overs and 40/4 at the end of 10 overs were ready for a big defeat until Shivam Dube came and almost turned the tables towards his team’s favour. Coming at no.5 Dube went on to score a belligerent 87* off mere 46 balls which had 7 sixes in it!

The match which could have been a loss with a bigger margin for Shivaji Park Lions was stretched till the last ball of the innings where they unfortunately fell short of 3 runs reaching 149/6 in 20 overs. Left-arm spinner Karsh Kothari bowled one of the most impressive spells so far in the tournament coming up with 4/19 in 20 overs. Another impressive spell was witnessed by Aditya Dhumal who conceded mere 5 runs in his spell of 3 overs as Namo Bandra Blasters won the match by 3 runs.

Shivam Dube

Triumph Knights Mumbai North East batting first had almost all their batsman chipping  in with 20’s and 30’s but they lacked someone who could take the match till the end with 70-90 odd runs to his name. Parikshit Valsangkar at one stage was hitting elegant shots and was looking quite confident in his 24 ball 39 while Karan More (36) and Akash Parkar (34) gave the finishing touch to the innings. It was especially an entertainment to watch the power hitter Akash Parkar plonk some magnificent sixes in the death overs which took the score to 162/7 in 20 overs.

Eagle Thane Strikers faced the same issue but the only difference was their batsman could not even muster those individual 20’s and 30’s which could have taken their team to a close fight. Alpesh Ramjani fought hard for his 40 runs but lacked support from the other end. Fast Bowler Mohit Awasthi was brilliant with the ball making batsman’s life miserable in his spell of 3/17 in 4 overs while Yash Dicholkar with 3/25 in 4 overs was the 2nd best of the lot.

Eagle Thane Strikers were restricted to 124/9 in 20 overs as Triumph Knights Mumbai North East won the match by 38 runs.

 

Sobo Supersonics after batting first at Wankhede were off to a patchy start with the top order not able to make much of an impact. However, Parag Khanapurkar played the rescue act hitting a 40 ball 45 to infuse some life into the innings. Khizer Dafedar’s late burst of 33* in just 18 balls further made things better for SOBO as they managed to reach a defendable total of 143/6 in 20 overs. Nehal katakdhond was impressive with the ball being the pick of the bowlers with his spell of 3/17 in 4 overs.

Chasing 144, the openers fell early but Akarshit Gomel did try to play the anchors role with his hard fought 43 but he lacked support from the other end as none of the batsman below him could cross the 20 run mark. Left arm spinner Dhrumil Matkar bowled a game changing spell of 3/28 in 4 overs while he was supported well by the other bowlers especially Khizer who conceded mere 15 runs in 4 overs and also bagged a wicket.

Aakash Tigers eventually managed to reach a total of 133/7 as Sobo Supersonics clinched a win by 11 runs.

Some Snaps-

 

Into the all important finals at the Union Cricket Academy KDMC Ground in Kalyan, Boys Cricket Club A after being put to bat first registered a decent total of 133// in 20 overs. Openers Rohan Karandikar and Ayush Patil stitched a 133 run stand almost batting the whole quota of 20 overs together. Rohan smashed 55 off 51 balls (7 boundaries) while Ayush scored a solid 56* off 62 balls (6 fours).

PAB Cricket Club Bhiwandi certainly found it difficult to get going on a wicket which was surely not easy for quick hitting.  Even though wickets in hand, some tight bowling from Boys CC bowlers ensured they were restricted to just 112/4 in 20 overs. Jay Bhanushali with 2/20 in 4 overs was the pick of the bowlers while the rest of the bowlers also came up with economical spells.

Boys CC win the finals by 21 runs winning the prestigious tournament while Ayush Patil was declared ‘man of the match’

Some Snaps post match-

With wickets falling at regular intervals Shivaji Park Lions were off to a mixed start with opener Swapnil Pradhan scoring a 33 ball 44. With scoreboard reading 86/5 at one stage in the 13th over, they required someone who could up the ante and Raunaq Sharma just delivered at the right moment hitting a brilliant 51* off 30 balls (3 fours, 4 sixes) pushing the team towards a respectable total of 159/6 in 20 overs. On the back of sharma’s half century, Shivaji Park Lions were able to score 73 runs in their last 7 overs.

Raunaq Sharma

Left arm spinner Iqbal Abdulla proved his worth and experience with the ball as he came up with envious bowling figures of 2/16 n 4 overs. Salil Agharkar despite going wicketless was quite impressive in his spell of 0/24 in 4 overs.

Chasing 160, opener Akhil who smashed a match winning half century in his previous outing changed the gears this time showing he can play according to the situation the game demands. The left hander went on to score a brilliant 79* in just 58 balls (9 fours , 3 sixes) at a time when wickets were falling from the other end.

The match which went into the last over again was finished in style by Akhil as he plonked the 2nd last ball for a sixer helping Arcs Andheri win the match 4 wkts.

North Mumbai Panthers who batted first at Wankhede were off to a stunning start with openers Shaw and Auti putting on 84 runs in just 9 overs. While skipper Shaw played an aggressive knock hitting 53 off 31 balls (7 fours, 2 sixes), it was Auti who played the anchors role batting till the 16th over en-route his 41 ball 51. Vikrant who was the highest run getter in Times Shield 2017 also smashed 3 double centuries in 2018 edition just showing the ample amount of experience he possesses at the top of the order. North Mumbai Panthers at the end of the 20 overs reached a total of 175/8 in 20 overs. From the bowlers- spinners Sujit Nayak with 2/23 in 4 overs and Aditya Dhumal with 2/29 in 4 overs were the pick of the bowlers.

Namo Bandra Blasters who were 21/5 at one stage thanks to some brilliant opening spells by the Mumbai Panthers bowlers got back into the game with some hard fought innings by Sujit (29), Siddarth Chitnis (50*) and Aditya Dhumal (38) but still they were far away from the total reaching 148/7 at the end of the 20 overs. Left arm pacer Atif Attarwala who has a brilliant bowling action coupled with seam and swing has been impressive in the tournament once again being the pick of the bowlers with 3/34 in 4 overs. Experienced Spinner Rahul Sawant with 2/15 in 4 overs was equally impressive with the ball.

Namo Bandra Blasters won the match by 27 runs on the back of their good opening partnership coupled with some really tight bowling by Atif and Rahul.

 

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