Dehradun Rockers rule in inaugural junior league

Dehradun Rockers defeated Punjab Tigers by 52 runs in the final of the inaugural Indian Junior Players League (IJPL) at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Friday.

Dehradun skipper Uvais Ahmad swept all the awards, including man of the match honours, ‘Best Batsman award’ and the ‘Man of the Tournament award’ with a scintillating knock of 72 runs off just 45 deliveries. The left-handed batsman-cumwicketkeeper had also struck a brilliant 92 runs off 50 deliveries in the semi-final against Hyderabad Hawks.

The Rockers won the toss and justified their decision to bat first as none of the Punjab Tigers bowlers could make an impact on their batsmen. Along with skipper Ahmad, all-rounder Rohit Rana (25) and Arko Jyoti Chattopadhyay (20) were among the runs as they put up 171 runs for six wickets from 20 overs — the second highest total in the inaugural edition of the IJPL.

Yugam Gautam (3/29) and Aditya Mehla (2/29) got the wickets for Punjab Tigers though none of them were effective in checking the run rampage.

The required rate was daunting for the Punjab Tigers batsmen from the outset and though Manpreet Saini (25), Shivam (22) and Vivek Sharma (20) made individuals efforts to stage a fightback, their team folded up for 119 runs in 18.1 overs. For Dehradun, Harsh Mittal took four wickets for 34 runs.

Former Indian captain, Dilip Vengsarkar lauded the efforts of the IJPL Talent Hunt for its efforts to unearth grass-roots talent from across India. “It’s amazing to see that under-18 cricketers from 16 states are playing in a world-class stadium sharing the dressing room of international stars and being provided five-star accommodation and other fine facilities. It’s been a worthwhile trip from Mumbai to Dubai to witness these brilliant young talents.”