CRICKET – THE Abraj Gladiators posted a six-wicket victory over the Abraj SuperGiants in the 12th week of action in the Abraj Premier League (APL 5).
The tournament is sponsored by Mega Contracting, BFC, Desi Zaika, Weather Cool, and AAL Association.
The SuperGiants won the toss and decided to bat first. Despite a steady performance, they were unable to score freely, finishing at 49/3 after 10 overs, thanks to the disciplined bowling by the Gladiators.
The SuperGiants struggled to accelerate, ending their innings with a below-par total of 119/6 in their 20 overs.
Tarun Parihar was the standout performer for the SuperGiants, scoring 30 (25), while Anthony Panvalkar (19), Sanito Dsilva (13), and Anuj Somani (11) made other notable contributions.
On the bowling side, the Gladiators’ captain Ajay Patel, Vibhav, and Amit Maity each took a wicket.
Chasing a modest target of 120, the Gladiators faced an early challenge, losing three wickets and managing just 27 runs in the powerplay.
However, their middle-order steadied the chase, and the Gladiators successfully reached their target in 16.3 overs, taking the win by six wickets.
Patel led the charge with an unbeaten 47 (28), with notable contributions from Surender Singh Thakran (13) and Kalpesh (11).
The SuperGiants’ bowlers, Somani, Vali Shaik, Vivek Mandowara, and Shrawan Soni each claimed one wicket, but the chase was too steep.
For his all-round brilliance with both bat and ball, Patel was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Match.
Meanwhile, the Abraj Rocking Royals cruised to a comfortable win over the Abraj Violets in another match.
The Rocking Royals won the toss and invited the Violets to bat first. The decision immediately paid off as the Violets lost a wicket on the very first ball of their innings.
From there, the Violets struggled to build any significant partnerships and were 62/4 at the end of 15 overs. They attempted to accelerate in the remaining overs but could only manage 101/8 by the end of their 20 overs.
Ashwani Bhatia was the top scorer for the Violets, finishing unbeaten on 22 (24), while Lauv Lahoti (11), Mukesh Kumar (11), and Safiyaaldin Sadiq (10) made other notable contributions.
The Rocking Royals’ bowlers were extremely economical, with Anoop Kumar leading the charge with two wickets. Anil Verma, Sagar Dholaria, Ashwani Pratap, and Kumar Kshitiz each took one wicket.
Chasing a relatively low target of 102, the Rocking Royals maintained a steady run rate with quick running between the wickets. Despite losing some wickets in the middle overs, they reached the target comfortably in 14.2 overs, finishing at 102/6.
Key contributions for the Rocking Royals came from Ashwani Pratap, who blasted 14 from just five balls, followed by Sagar Dholaria (13), Dilleeswar Cheri (11), and Anoop Kumar (10).
The Violets’ bowlers, led by Hozefa Petiwala with three wickets, tried hard to contain the Rocking Royals, but couldn’t halt their progress. Mishal Soni and Mukesh Kumar took two and one wicket, respectively.
Anoop Kumar’s all-round performance earned him the MVP award for the match.
In another contest, the Abraj Strikers outperformed the Abraj Daredevils to claim a win.
The Strikers won the toss and invited the Daredevils to bat first. This decision proved to be a successful one as the Strikers’ bowlers restricted the Daredevils to a poor start, leaving them at 32/3 by the end of the eighth over.
The Daredevils’ middle-order batters rotated the strike well, and some late hitting from their top scorer Samba Shiva Reddy (51 off 33 balls), along with Ankit Bhutda (27 off 22) and Dinesh Kumar (20 off 25), helped them post a respectable total of 141/7 in their 20 overs.
Rudra Desai and Ajay Jain were the pick of the bowlers for the Strikers, taking two wickets each. Rakesh Kumar and Sandeep Shah also contributed with one wicket apiece.
Chasing 142, the Strikers started aggressively, reaching 54/1 by the end of the sixth over. Although they lost a few wickets, their healthy run rate kept the pressure at bay. Rakesh Kumar top scored with an explosive 39 off 16 balls, supported well by Rohit Kumar (24 off 12), Arun CR (19 off 10), Gaurav Sontakke (10 off 10), and Rudra Desai (10 off 10).
The Daredevils’ bowlers, led by Vinu with two wickets, tried hard to halt the Strikers’ chase, but most of their bowlers were hit for significant runs. John, Vinay Gupta, and Kumar each took a wicket, but couldn’t contain the chase.
Rakesh Kumar was named the match’s MVP.
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