Saturday

Bhumin 141* leads Chiefs to script Spartans downfall

Bhumin Desai sizzled on a hot Saturday at Minor Park to open the account for Chiefs CC. 

Coming into the match on the back of 4 successive defeats Cheifs won the crucial toss and decided to bat first against Desi Spartans. Opening the batting Bhumin struck 141* of 100 balls with 11 fours and 7 hits over the top of the boundary. He was ably supported by Dheeraj Chetti 38 of 28) and Neel Khatiwala (47 of 40). Spartans used as many as 9 bowlers as Chiefs CC amassed 272/3 in 30 overs.  

Chasing the mighty score was an uphill task for Spartans who were all out for 163 in the 30th over with Aamir Ghafoor (70) fighting a lone battle.  Harsh Mehta (4 for 18) and 4 other Chiefs CC bowlers added to their wickets tally. 

Brothers XI ride Usman’s onslaught to keep spirited Lakes at bay

Brothers XI registered an important victory over Lakes XI at Auburndale Park. The match turned out to be a run feast with close to 500 runs being scored. The highlight of the match was Usman Cheema’s 37 runs in 1 over featuring 6 towering sixes. The unfortunate bowler in this case was Ash Don. Usman’s 88 included 5 boundaries and 8 sixes. Talal, Yashwanth and Gurchetan all chipped in with 30s to take Brothers XI to 261.

In reply Lakes XI gave a good fight and scored 232 for 8, falling short by 29 runs. Aravind Darapu (76 of 57) did not receive enough support from other batters. 

Mystics turbocharged by Nagarjuna’s innings down Pak XI

Mystics scored a comprehensive victory over Pak XI in their league match at Minor Park. Skipper Nagarjuna Chilukuri is in fine form and has only been dismissed once in the tournament. His scintillating knock (74 of 40 3x4, 4x6) on Saturday took Mystics to 223 for 5 in 30 overs. He was ably supported by opener Shashank Avvaru(49) and Gokul Kanulla (44). In response barring Salim Akhtar (44) other Pak XI batters struggled and could only take their team to 150 in 30 overs. Sukumar and Balaramakrishna bowled economically while Kishore Y took 3 wickets. 

Sunday 

KCC Topeka edge out Chargers in a low-scoring thriller

2024 edition or MWCL T30 has so far turned out to be a batsmen’s game. However things took a different turn on Sunday as 19 wickets fell for merely 165 runs in a league match between KCCC and KC Chargers.

Liberty ground witnessed a thrilling finish as KCC Topeka stunned KC Chargers in a close contest. Having chosen to bowl first KCC Topeka showcased disciplined bowling and fielding. On the other hand KC Charger batters had a horrible day as their team was wrapped up for 82 inside 23 overs. Only Sanay Patel and Satya Reddy B were able to reach double figures. Captain Sundeep Bobba (3/29), Surya Bharat Rao (2/8) ans Vibin Gopal(2/11) did the majority of the damage.
Having their backs against the wall, KC Chargers bowlers fought hard and at one point were all over the KCC batters and had them struggling at 61 for 8. Debutant Karthik Ghatti (4/20), Arpit Phanshikar (3/21) and other Chargers players gave it all, however the horrors of batting meant that KCC was able to edge home. 
 

Hemanth and Sanjeev prop up Avengers win

KC Avengers beat Bharat XI convincingly at Auburndale Park on Sunday thus taking their points tally to 6 points. In a match that saw 89 extras, KC Avengers scored 238 for 9 and restricted Bharat XI to 173 for 7 in 30 overs. 
     For KC Avengers allrounder Sanjeev KV (61) and captain Hemanth Mereddy (58*) scored half centuries. For Bharat XI Varinder Singh continued his good form and took 3 wickets. Post the drinks break chase was never on for Bharat XI as they lost wickets at regular intervals. Rohan Sharma (57) showed resistance however it was not enough as Avengers won by 65 runs. 

Green Hawks maintain winning streak with all-round team performance

Green Hawks kept their perfect record intact by beating Raptors in an important group B fixture played at Minor Park. Adib Rawoot(3/21) and other Hawks bowlers bowled with discipline and allowed Raptors to score on 163/7 in 30 overs. Veteran Kiran Kkambhampati (48), Chathushka (38) ans Trived Surapaneni (37) played well for Raptors.
Despite some late hiccups Green Hawks were able to reach the target in 27 overs. Paras Marwaha (35) and Hassaan Shaikh(34) contributed towards the target. For Raptors Chathushka and Likith Alla were main wicket takers. 

All MWCL teams will be enjoying a well deserved break during the Memorial day long weekend. League matches would resume on June 1st.

- Headlines by Abhiram Varchas
- Reports by Arpit Phanshikar