DCL Cup Quarter-final: SRP XI vs Indoasian

Brief Scores

Indoasian:                           6 / 205 in 20 overs

                                                            Lakshay 67 (37)

                                                            Deepak Sharma 62 (39)

                                                            Karan 42* (21)

                                                            Rajnish 2/30 (4)

                                                            Akki 1/18 (3)

                                                                                                                                               

SRP XI:                             4 / 210 in 17.4 overs

                                                            Abhinav 104* (56)

                                                            V Bangar 39* (14)

                                                            Anuj Meena 2/27 (3)

                                                                                                                                   

Man of the Match:                        Abhinav (SRP XI)

Best Performer Indoasian:                    Lakshay

Complete Scorecard:                    http://bit.ly/1GYaTGq

Abhinav’s Match-winning Hundred Gets SRP Season’s Highest Run Chase

With two teams that play to win, and more significantly, expect to win every game they play, we anticipated an intense match. What we got ultimately was the most enthralling battle of the tournament and perhaps even the season, as the two equals locked horns. For the entire afternoon, the teams exchanged heavy blows, and between them there were five batting contributions that had match-winning stature. Three of those came from Indoasian. Significantly, however, SRP XI’s Abhinav produced the innings of the tournament, season, and perhaps even his life as he stole the game from under Indoasian’s nose with a stunning hundred against pressure.

Jaideep and Abhinav Seize Momentum for SRP

Abhinav played the innings of the season

With 206 to get, SRP were confronted with the season’s highest chase. Indoasian, sensing SRP’s big hitting prowess and batting depth, knew it was match on, and Deepak used his sharp cricketing sense  to begin with spin from both ends, giving the batsmen no pace. After a tight first over of off-spin himself, left-arm spinner Shivang responded with a wicket of his second ball, Dinesh clean bowled for a duck.

Abhinav, walking out at number 3, displayed his composure and confidence in his own and his team’s ability to chase a big total by dead batting his first nine balls. Strangely, in the context of slam bang cricket, those dot balls served a warning to the fielding side. As did the typically brisk start Jaideep got from the other end. Following his consecutive boundaries in the first over, he crashed a six over long on off Deepak in the 3^rd over, before being gifted four overthrows next ball that firmly established SRP’s momentum.

Abhinav, after settling himself in, joined the party in the 4^th, swatting Shivang for a mid-wicket boundary followed by a cut to the fence. The compilation had begun and Indoasian would never see the end of the leftie’s bat. He slammed off spinner Anuj Meena for a six against the spin over long on in the next over before once again helping himself to consecutive boundaries of Shivang, the second of these a swinging drive over extra cover – his favorite shot.

Spin and Fight Keep Indoasian in the Game

Lakshay was the Best Performer for Indoasian

Off-spinner Lakshay gave Indoasian a big break in the 8^th over, dismissing Jaideep off his first ball, caught by Anuj at long off for 25. That was pretty much the last cheer for the off-spinner, as he bled 21 runs in the rest of the over. Manjeet needed just one sighter before slamming a six over long off and a boundary past extra cover. The over ended with Abhinav heaping another maximum. He reached his fifty in the next with a four and a six off Vishal’s medium pace. Slowly but surely, the game was tilting SRP’s way.

The thing, though, with a 200-plus target is that the pressure never relents. So, even though SRP were chipping away 10-12 every over, when Anuj dismissed Manjeet with his combative off-spin in the 13^th caught at deep cover, the batting side still needed 79 in 47 balls. Abhinav, however, was in a relentless mood now and he smashed a slog six over long on in the same over. The drama reached a crescendo off the last ball, as Abhinav defended a ball off his back foot, the ball rolled back to nudge the stumps but the bails never dislodged. In a short instant, the erupting celebration was replaced by disbelief. In retrospect, that might have been the turning point.

Deepak Sharma Sets up Big Total with Aggressive Fifty

The dramatic climax was set up by a high-octane batting effort by Indoasian earlier in the day. They were as clinical as they were aggressive, sparing nothing lose right from ball one. Deepak gave them a rapid start, slamming the medium pace of Jambu for 18 in the first over, including a six and two fours over mid-wicket. Akki kept it tight from the other end, managing to knock out Vishal’s stumps off an attempted flick. SRP’s best bowler, left-arm spinner Rajnish, gave his side another lift, trapping Ajay LBW in the 5^th.

Akki was the day's most economical bowler

Tight bowling brought SRP back into the game, but Lakshay and Deepak had enough presence of mind and cricketing experience to knock the ball around and wait for the opportunities that would inevitably come. Deepak’s gaze finally fell on left-arm spinner Abhinav in the 8^th, and he bludgeoned a short ball for six before bulleting a straight drive past the bowler. Deepak punished off-spinner Balle for another 6-4 combo in the next to reach his fifty.

After another six off Abhinav, he was finally caught by Manjeet at the deep mid-wicket boundary in the 12^th off Jaideep’s medium pace. The score read 97 at this stage, and Deepak had helped himself to 62 of these to continue his perch at the top of the run-scoring leader-board.

Lakshay and Karan Take Indoasian Past 200

The next big partnership was the one for the 6^th wicket between Lakshay and Karan. They put on 65 in 32 balls, scattering sixes and picking boundaries off Robinson, Jaideep and even Rajnish. Lakshay’s 37-ball 67 was as dynamic and energetic an innings as we had seen. The batsman picked gaps everywhere, ran singles hard, and located boundaries around the park. During the last 30 balls of his innings before being dismissed by Rajnish in the penultimate over, he did not play a single dot ball. Karan carried on till the end, smashing 14 off the last three balls to end with 42 not out and lift Indoasian past 200.

Abhinav and Bangar Seal the Win for SRP

With 7 overs to go in the SRP run chase, Abhinav, buoyed by his good fortune, pulled two fearless sixes over square leg off a weak over by left-arm spinner Abhishek. The irrepressible Anuj Meena, however, brought Indoasian back into the game with the wicket of Sudhir. It was to be the last joy for Indoasian, though, as the big hitting Vishad Bangar walked out and employed his dismissive power for maximum impact in partnership with Abhinav. The duo shut the game out in two overs of mayhem. Bangar smoked two signature straight sixes off Shivang, before Abhinav played an exquisite late cut to move on to 92. Bangar unleashed another two sixes in the next off Vishal, before Abhinav moved on to 98 with a lift over long on.

Aptly, Abhinav completed his hundred and the winning runs in the 18^th with another straight six. The jubilant SRP squad converged in the middle, wild with celebration. Abhinav walked away with a memorable Man of the Match award for his sapping hundred in the cauldron of an intense knock-out battle, and Lakshay picked up the Best Performer award for Indoasian.

DCL Plate Quarter-final: Vedic Naturals vs Software One

Brief Scores

Vedic Naturals:                        9 / 274 in 20 overs

                                                            Cristy Joshi 100 (49)

                                                            Sumit 71 (30)

                                                            Sangu 3 / 52 (4)

                                                            Manoj 3 / 68 (4)

                                                                                                                                               

Software One:                        7 / 187 in 20 overs

                                                            Himanshu 36 (22)

                                                            Rakesh 34* (12)

                                                            Arun 2 / 31 (4)

                                                            Sumit 1 / 14 (3)

                                                                                                                                   

Man of the Match:                       Cristy Joshi (Vedic Naturals)

Best Performer Software One:          Himanshu

Complete Scorecard:                   http://bit.ly/1HJFOdd

Cristy Slams 100, Powers Vedic to Big Win

After winning the toss and electing to bowl, Software One got their most promising start of the tournament. They dislodged the top 3, including Devraj, in the first 9 balls. All three catches were pocketed safely, two of them of exceptional quality. However, it was indiscipline in bowling that cost Software One on the day. Vedic Naturals’ iconic opener Cristy walked in at number 4 for a change, and feasted on the errors in length and line. While he completed an unlikely hundred in rapid time, he got tremendous support from the hard-hitting Sumit. Though batted out of the game, Software One responded with verve, tying their highest score of the tournament at 187.

Openers Dislodged, Cristy Rebuilds

If Cristy had relinquished the opener’s job to sit back and sip tea for a few overs, things did not go to plan. Binoo saw a ball in his hitting zone and skied a catch to extra cover first ball of the match, and NP Singh promptly followed next ball, sent back by Sahil’s sharp catch at short cover. The cricket gods had given Cristy a cruel grin. Once again, he was out in the middle in the first over, but this time, the score read an alarming 0 / 2. He was unperturbed, however, and he got to business immediately, crashing a couple of boundaries in the eventful first over – both his trademark lofted off-drives.

Devraj helped himself to consecutive pulls for four off Samarth in the 2^nd over, before miscuing a third one straight to Rahul at square leg. The 3 wickets brought delight to the Software One camp, but no respite in run scoring. Arun stroked a couple of boundaries in the 4^th before Cristy spanked a cut off Sangu in the next over followed by a flick and a full, swinging glance for six.

Cristy and Sumit Make Software One Pay for Inconsistent Bowling

Cristy scored his first hundred at BST

Manoj misfielded twice at mid on in the 6^th to gift Arun a couple of boundaries and Vedic Naturals had raced off to 69 / 3 after the Power Play overs. Unusually, however, the run scoring actually got a rapid boost after the field spread. Cristy in particular scattered boundaries and sixes all round the park, devouring the happy feast of very short and very full deliveries.

Manoj conceded 17 in the 7^th, including two Cristy boundaries and 5 wides, before Arun edged to wicket-keeper Imran and the gloveman completed an excellent catch diving to his left. Pradeep leaked 10 runs off the bat and another 10 in wides in the next over, and then Manoj came back only to be driven for three sixes by Cristy, who completed his fifty in the over.

There was no break in the pattern till Gagandeep was caught off a thin edge to the wicket-keeper in the 12^th. The score had already touched 150 by then. There was a lull for a couple of ovrs, as Sumit got his eye in. Once he was settled, however, all hell broke loose. Vedic Naturals slammed a stunning 106 in the last six overs. Sumit slapped a couple of boundaries past mid-wicket in the 15^th, before ruining Rakesh’s day with three big straight sixes in the 16^th over. Cristy added the cherry to the cake, swinging a drive past long on and way past the property’s boundary wall to complete 29 off the over.

Cristy finally reached his 100 off Sangu in the 18^th over before being caught by Sahil the very next ball. Sumit was the next to go in the 19^th, edging to the wicket-keeper off Shitij, but he had already done considerable damage, slamming six straight sixes on course to a 30-ball 71.

Himanshu and Rakesh Top Score for Software One

The chase was never on, but the Software One batsmen still gave a decent account of themselves. Several batters got starts, and had any of them scored big, they would have comfortably got their tournament’s highest total. Imran punctured the off-side ring six times in the first 3 overs, before falling to Sumit’s medium pace for 25 in the 4^th. Sahil followed six balls later, slicing a catch straight to Gagandeep at short third man.

Himanshu, walking out at number 5, stroked an attractive 36 in the middle overs, highlighted by two mid-wicket sixes off Charan that got him off the mark and a delightful square drive off Shwet in the 13^th. Rakesh followed Himanshu’s act with an aggressive unbeaten 12-ball cameo that produced 34, including 3 sixes.

The match ultimately produced 461 runs, and the Man of the Match went to Cristy for his sparkling century. Himanshu was the Best Performer for Software One for his 36, and on a morning dominated by the willow, Sumit ended up being the most economical bowler with his figures of 3 – 0 – 14 – 1.  

DCL Cup Quarter Final: Opto vs Stoners

Brief Scores

Stoners:                             110 all out in 16.1 overs

                                                            Varun Mishra 28 (19)

                                                            Rakesh 23 (11)

                                                            Ajit Ranjan 4 / 24 (4)

                                                            Gagan Sodhi 2 / 7 (3)

                                                                                                                                               

Opto:                                  1 / 111 in 11.1 overs

                                                            Sohail Rauf 54* (38)

                                                            Ishneet 38* (22)

                                                                                                                                   

Man of the Match:                        Ajit Ranjan (Opto)

Best Performer Stoners:                 Varun Mishra

Complete Scorecard:                 http://bit.ly/1bwvxDS  

Opto Bowlers Run Through Opposition Yet Again

Gagan (center) is DCL's Top Wicket-taker

Gagan and Ravi keep slamming games shut for Opto with their combination of height, pace and accuracy. Within the first 6 – 8 overs, they pick up a handful of wickets without conceding anything. The pressure after that is overwhelming. Stoners made an earnest attempt to resist that pattern, but the script ultimately remained the same.

Shreyans, Akshar and Sanit were all dismissed up front by the duo to leave Stoners at 23 / 3 after 6 overs. With the explosive capabilities of Neil, Mustafa and Ayush still in their arsenal, Stoners still had hope.  All three, however, were snapped up by the left-arm spin of Ajit Ranjan. Combining accuracy with variations in flight, the tweaker first accounted for Neil in his first over – the 7^th of the match. The batsman jumped out of his crease recklessly off the spinner’s first ball to him and lifted an off drive straight to Ishneet at long off.

Mustafa was the spinner’s next victim. He miscued an attempted drive and the ball caught his bat’s outside edge.

Ajit (right) was the Man of the Match

Prashant ran back from cover and pocketed an excellent catch. Ayush followed next, a thin edge taken at slip, before Bhaskar was clean bowled to become Ajit’s fourth victim. Varun, however, fought gamely, smacking two sixes off the spinners, lifting his side to 110 from 68 / 8. His contribution of 28 earned him the Best Performer award from his side.

 The chase of 111 was hardly a challenge, and Sohail Rauf and Ishneet guided the innings with control and composure. Ishneet complemented Sohail’s elegance with power, and both batsmen freely expressed their penchant for hitting in the straight arc. While Sohail compiled an attractive 54 not out, Ishneet helped himself to 38, completing the win in the 12^th over with a six off Mustafa. The double nelson scoreboard would be a numerologist’s delight (111 / 1 from 11.1 overs),

but we will have to wait and watch if that bodes any change of luck for Opto’s subsequent opponents.

Ajit pocketed the Man of the Match award for his contribution of 4 – 0 – 24 – 4 that broke the back of Stoner’s middle-order.

DCL Cup Quarter-final: SRT XI vs Hindustan Tiles

Brief Scores

Hindustan Tiles:                       98 all out in 19.4 overs

                                                            Manish 30 (19)

                                                            Akshay 23 (17)

                                                            Sachin 3/9 (4)

                                                            Kunj Sharma 3/9 (2.4)

                                                            Sahaan John 2/11 (4)

                                                                                                                                               

SRT XI:                             3 / 99 in 10.2 overs

                                                            Kunj Sharma 64* (31)

                                                            Akshay 1/8 (1.2)

                                                                                                                                   

Man of the Match:                        Kunj Sharma (SRT XI)

Complete Scorecard:                    http://bit.ly/1yb9kA3

All-rounder Kunj and SRT Spinners Rout Hindustan Tiles

Akshay raghav has scored 35 percent of the runs for Hindustan Tiles in this tournament. The team is, in a very real sense, a one-man army. And once again, when that one man was felled, it was only a matter of time.

Kunj picked up 3 wickets then stroked an aggressive 64

For the 3^rd time in 3 innings, Akshay began with a lot of promise. He unleashed 3 boundaries off Saurabh in the 2^nd – a jab past square leg, a flowing cover drive and an effortless flick. He picked out gaps in Saurabh’s field once again in his next over, whipping a cut and creaming another over drive. From the other end, Manish began with his usual aggression, but his shot selection was a lot better than we are used to seeing. After slamming a cut and a cover drive off the first two balls he faced, he also gloved a hook behind the keeper off Kunj in the 3^rd, before smashing a savage cover drive off Saurabh in the 4^th. 43/ 0 in 4 was a promising start for the batting side.

The 5^th over, however, turned out to be the beginning of the end. Akshay failed to check the fielder at backward square leg, and he flicked a juicy leg side half volley by Kunj straight into his hands. Ravi was rushed out 2 balls later, flat batting a short ball outside off straight to mid on.

Sachin picked up 9/3 from his 3 overs

Manish carried on adventurously, slamming a six over extra cover off seamer Raj and one over long on off Mukund before the off-spinner finally had him caught there for 30 off another attempted six. The score at this stage was 58 / 3, but there was no further batting to come.

Left-arm spinner Sachin, off-spinner Sahaan and leggie Rahul went through their overs quickly as the batsmen fiddled around clueless against the turning ball. Sachin picked up 9 / 3 from his 4 overs, Sahaan ended up with 11 / 2, and Kunj cleaned out Neeraj to bundle Hindustan Tiles out for 98.

Kunj himself walked out after Shivam was clean bowled by left-arm spinner Sudesh in the 2^nd over, and he tore apart the Hindustan Tiles bowling, muscling fours and sixes at a rapid rate in his favorite long on – mid-wicket zone (6 x 6, 6 x 4) to end up with 64 not out from 31 balls. The target was completed in the 11^th over, and Kunj pocketed the Man of the Match award for his standout all-round performance. 

DCL Cup Quarter-final 1: CCPL vs Star XI

Brief Scores

Star XI:                             57 all out in 12.4 overs

                                                            Karan 4/18 (4)

                                                            Ankit 2/6 (4)

                                                            Manish 3/24 (2.4)

                                                                                                                                   

CCPL:                               3 / 60 in 7.1 overs

                                                            Manish 28

                                                            Shikhar 3/23 (3.1)

                                                                                                                                   

Man of the Match:                        Karan (CCPL)

Best Performer Star XI:               Shikhar

Complete Scorecard:                    http://bit.ly/1yb7XBf

Confronted by Pace Barrage, Star XI Plummet from Season’s Highest to Season’s Lowest

All eyes were on Shikhar. With Mohit Mehlawat, the team’s other solid opener, not playing on the day, Star XI were desperate for their top star to lead the charge. It would have been far-fetched to expect another double ton, but even half of that would do. Against a fiercely competitive seam attack bowling with an extra spur of motivation and yard of pace, it was not to be, however.

Karan bowled with pace and control to finish with 4/18

Shikhar was dismissed cheaply, and the rest of the team folded behind him.

Credit for the Shikhar dismissal goes to wicket-keeper Aradhya. The gloveman produced the best wicket-keeping we have seen all tournament and the highlight of his effort was his stumping of Shikhar in the second over. Standing up to the seriously brisk pace bowling of Karan, his hands moved with lightning speed to collect a missed off-drive and instinctively whip out the bails, as Shikhar dragged his back foot out of the crease. As if to prove that it was no fluke, stumping Sonub off the same bowler in his next over. That left the batting side reeling at 11 / 4.

Ankit bowled the most economical spell of the DCL

Karan, on fire now, bowled his four on the trot and picked up another two scalps to leave Star XI shell-shocked at 18 / 6 in the 8^th. The other seamer Ankit, if anything topped Karan’s pace and energy, as he completed his four from the other end, ending with the tournament’s most economical figures of 4 – 1 – 6 – 2.

Star XI never recovered from the squeeze, and their follow-up to the season’s highest score ended up being the season’s lowest. 58 was a canter for CCPL, but before they got there, Shikhar drove home the point that his big-hitting blade was not his only asset. Using his powerful shoulders, he generated serious pace and aggression, picking up Manish, Aradhya and Aman, all clean bowled.

Shikhar picked up 3 wickets with his brisk medium pace

The fireworks were cut short quickly, though, as Jogi pummeled a boundary to complete the win in the 8^th over.

Karan walked away with the Man of the Match award, and for the second time in two games, Shikhar was the Best Performer from his side, this time for his bowling figures of 23 / 3 from 3.1 overs.

DCL Plate Quarter-final 1: Chadha and Chadha vs Silent Assassins

Brief Scores

Chadha and Chadha:                 6 / 241 in 20 overs

                                                            Deepak 84 (28)

                                                            Vijay Pal 49 (25)

                                                            Pradeep Negi 38 (33)

                                                            Manish 33 (23)

                                                                                                                                               

Silent Assassins:                        8 / 125 in 20 overs

                                                            Kanwar 50 (40)

                                                            Chetan 4/26 (4)

                                                                                                                                   

Man of the Match:                        Deepak (Chadha and Chadha)

Best Performer Silent Assassins:       Kanwar

Complete Scorecard:                    http://bit.ly/1CQVh8n

Deepak Slams Rapid 84, Powers Chadha and Chadha Into Plate Semi-finals

The biggest draw of T20 cricket is its unpredictability. A single spell of few overs or a few balls of big hitting can turn the game around in a flash. That is what Deepak did for Chadha and Chadha in a 45-minute barrage of sixes.

The early partnership between Manish and Negi set up the innings

Silent Assassins won the toss and elected to bowl on the morning track, and the game began with a lot of promise for them as medium pacer Akhil removed Pradeep, clean bowled off the second ball of the innings. Seamer Shri struck another blow in the 2^nd over, the other opener Chetan caught at extra cover. 8 / 2 was an uncomfortable position for Chadha and Chadha, and Manish and Pradeep Negi began their innings with consolidation as their priority.

The two decided to cut risks, wait for loose balls and look for gaps. It turned out to be a productive tactic as Silent Assassins failed to put together enough good balls to build pressure. Pradeep Negi began the boundary count with a slash over slips for four in the 3^rd over, before Manish doubled the tally with a glance in the next off Shri.

Deepak goes for maximum impact

The story of the first few overs was 4-5 good balls by Silent Assassins and one that was either too full, too wide or on the pads. Jatin was crunched for a straight six by Manish in the 5^th, and off-spinner Prateek was picked easily in the next, his slow and predictable flight inadequate for the PowerPlay overs. Negi scooped him over mid off, pulled him square and cleared the in-field over cover twice to collect 16 off the over.

The pattern continued till Manish was run out for 33 off an excellent throw from deep square leg off the last ball of an excellent 8^th over by Jatin. At 72 / 3, the game was still within Silent Assassins’ reach. The fielding side came roaring back into contention when Negi (38) was dismissed by seamer Saurav off the first ball of the 11^th, caught by Kanwar at extra cover. Six balls later Kanwar added to his tally of excellent catches this tournament, as he had Goldy dismissed, running back from his position at extra cover off Abhishek’s first ball of the day.

Vijay Pal played a solid supporting role

With Chadha and Chadha 91 / 5, Silent Assassins felt like they were in command. This was when Deepak walked out, and within minutes his rapid partnership with Vijay Pal destroyed the fielding side’s advantage. Vijay Pal got the partnership going from its first ball, launching Abhishek for a big six over long off followed by a four past mid-wicket. A no ball full toss above the waist was pulled into the bushes past the square leg fence, and the over that had begun like a dream for Abhishek, ended up leaking 19 runs. Deepak slammed his first six in the next over, a poor short ball by Rohan pulled over square leg.

A simple catch off Vijay Pal was put down at square leg in the 14^th and it proved to be costly as the partnership ultimately yielded 105 off 39 balls till Vijay Pal was dismissed LBW by Jatin for 49 (25 balls) in the 18^th over.

After starting with 11 wides, Chetan snapped up 4 wickets

Deepak had already blasted big sixes between square leg and long on off Prateek, Akhil and Saurav, but he wasn’t done. He carted Shri for two big leg side sixes off the last two balls of his spell in the 19^th, before Hitender exploded in the last over – which turned out to be the biggest one of the Chadha and Chadha innings.

Hitender slammed 3 leg side sixes off Saurav, and those hits were interspersed by yet another Deepak six, this one off a no-ball. The over yielded 29 and propelled the score to a mammoth 241 / 6. 161 runs had come off the last ten overs, a season record.

Kanwar played another solid innings for his side

Silent Assassins had put up a spirited fight for most of their bowling innings but the big hitting at the end had deflated them and they never managed to mount a serious challenge during their own batting innings. Kanwar, however, got yet another fifty to back his excellent fielding effort. Other than Kanwar’s knock, Chetan’s slow and canny spin bowling was the highlight of the innings. After throwing down an astounding 11 wides in his first two overs, he adjusted his radar for terrific success in his 3^rd over. Tempting batsmen with his teasing flight, he picked up Jatin, Vaibhav Suri and Rohan within six balls, delivering a maiden 3-wicket over and ending up on top of the tournament’s wickets tally.

Kanwar was once again the Best Performer for Silent Assassins as Deepak walked away with the Man of the Match award.