TROJAN CRICKET CLUB

The Popovich Panthers secured a comfortable 45 run win against the Viterbi Vultures which helped them put a solid grasp on the top 4 qualifier spots, leading up to the knockout stage.

VV won the toss and asked Popovich to bat first. Sushil Premjani put the foot on the accelerator early with a quick 20 off just 10 balls. Rookie Louis Arokiaraj was solid again with a reliable 24 off 17 which included his trademark six over covers. The Panthers maintained the scoring rate at 10 rpo during the initial stages of the game. Sohan Shetty for the Vultures bowled very well to get the in-form Gaganjot Singh out for 17 runs, followed by the crucial wicket of potential MVP -Mukul Sagar. The Panthers at this stage were 82/4 in 9 overs. Skipper Tarun Sandhu, joined Kamalpreet Singh Kalsi and the duo put together a quickfire 65 run partnership off just 24 balls as they dominated the Viterbi spinners Mayur Shah and Pradeep. Sandhu top scored with 38 off just 16 balls and Kalsi 36 runs. The Panthers ended up with a formidable 170 runs in the 16 overs.

The Vultures finally got their all-star batter Vikas Rajgopal back for this game and his presence certainly played a crucial rule in the game. While the Panthers kept picking up wickets during the course of the game, Vikas played a fantastic innings of 56 off just 28 runs to help keep the innings on course. The VV ran out of batting firepower once Vikas departed as Muthu RG and Sohan tried desperately to break free. A much more disciplined bowling effort from the Panthers helped secure a comfortable win by 45 runs.

Special mention to Lavanya Iyer, who was brilliant on the field with some excellent fielding and bowling and helped contribute towards this important win.

Next week, the Panthers will take on Cardinal Knights to determine the standings for the top 4 qualifying teams. Good luck to all.