MARGAO
Central Strikers Indore were crowned champions of the second edition of the Crickokers 50+ Crickokers Big Bash, defeating Omtex Western Lion Mumbai by 8 wickets in a commanding performance with 44 balls to spare. The tournament was organized by Crickokers Hospitality Goa and featured top veteran teams from across the country.
Opting to bowl after winning the toss, Central Strikers restricted Omtex to 139/6 in 20 overs. Wicketkeeper-batsman Abhijit Kadam led the scoring for Omtex with a quickfire 34 off 24 balls. The innings was revived after a shaky start at 43/4, thanks to a 41-run partnership between Kadam and Sarang Degwekar (31 off 16 balls, 1 four, 3 sixes). Later, Sunil Raheja (29* off 20) and Rakesh Mehta (14* off 12) added 23 unbeaten runs to guide their side to a competitive total.
For Indore, Ajay Dwivedi took 2 wickets for 24 runs, while Jamil Khan, Chandraprakash, Shekh Sadik, and Sanjay Chaubey picked one wicket apiece.
In response, Central Strikers got off to a blazing start with openers Manoj Kandhari and Nasir Ali putting up a 71-run stand in just 6 overs. Kandhari hammered 50 off 22 balls (9 fours, 1 six), while Nasir added 31 off 22 balls. Finishing touches were provided by Vinayak Samant (25 off 18) and Sandeep Mehrotra (24* off 14), who took the team past the target in 12.4 overs with the score at 140/2.
The prize distribution ceremony was held in the presence of MCC President Yogesh Naik, Chirag Datta Naik, and Sagun Dada Naik, along with special guests Raghuvir Kuncolienkar, Anup Borkar, and Amar Devidas.
Individual Awards:
• Best Player from Losing Team: Abhijit Kadam
• Best Player from Winning Team: Manoj Kandhari
• Best Batsman of the Tournament: Makarand Kulkarni (Omtex Western Lion)
• Best Bowler of the Tournament: Chandraprakash (Central Strikers)
• Best All-Rounder of the Tournament: Sarang Degwekar (Omtex Western Lion)
