Amar Ujala AMCL 2012: Bates, UTV, Mudra, Interactive Avenues, Multi Screen Media and Indigo Systems win on Day 1 and 2 in Mumbai

The first day of Season 4 of Amar Ujala Agency and Media Cricket League in Mumbai saw three matches and a lot of cricketing action.

The cricket ground at Shivaji Park in Mumbai saw close to 400 runs scored in the very first day. The first match had Team Bates and Team OMD facing each other. Team OMD won the toss and elected to bowl first. The opponents took advantage of the pitch and set a daunting run target of 156. The first three of the batting order piled up the majority of runs. Raviraj, Vishal, and Kamal scored 27, 65 and 26 runs, respectively. The three played with heady determination and gave a tough time to Team OMD's bowlers. Swapnil of Team OMD proved really expensive as he ceded 51 runs in just 18 balls.

Already under pressure to tide over the formidable target, the opening pair of Anand and Akashay mustered 36 runs (off 18 balls, 7X4) and 15 runs (off 13 balls, 1X4), respectively. Team OMD could not match the opponents and therefore lost the match by a wide margin of over 60 runs. Vikas of Team Bates clinched a wicket, while his team mates Mukesh and Suresh snapped two wickets each. Vishal Parab took away the Man of the Match trophy for his all-round performance.

The second match of the day was between UTV and Law & Kenneth. Team UTV won the toss and elected to bat first. Setting a modest target of 106 runs, UTV played cautiously. The openers faced the bowling attack with determination, but soon Abid was seen marching back after facing just two balls. However, the opposing team couldn't take much advantage and wrapped up at just 82 runs. The main point of the match was 28 runs given away as extras by the bowlers of Team Law & Kenneth. In contrast, the bowling order of Team UTV was a well-coordinated one that bowled sensibly, fielded well and ceded limited runs.

Vinayak of Team Law & Kenneth scored a half century but to no avail as none of his team mates matched him in batting. Suresh of Team UTV was declared the Man of the Match for scoring 33 runs and helping his side set the target. Team UTV won the match smoothly by 24 runs.

The next encounter of the day was between Team Mudra and Team Indigo Systems. The latter won the toss and decided to bowl first. Team Mudra played a calculated innings with the top three of the batting order staying put and wrapping the innings at 113 runs. The highest score was by set by Pinaki, 40 runs off 22 balls (8X4). The bowlers of Team Indigo were unable to contain runs and collectively gave away 20 runs as extras. Prasad proved to be the most expensive bowler as he ceded 30 runs in 12 balls.

Team Indigo could not manage its batting, either. The whole team fell prey to the bowling attack of the opponents except Amit, who scored 46 runs in 30 balls (7X4). Team Indigo folded the innings at 84 runs, with four balls remaining. Team Mudra won the face-off by 29 runs, and Pinaki was adjudged the Man of the Match.

The first match of Day 2 was between Interactive Avenues (B) and GroupM (B). The latter won the toss and decided to field first. Team Interactive Avenues set a target of 101 runs with a loss of seven wickets. This match offered many nail-biting moments, as Team Interactive Avenues won the match by just two runs. Team GroupM was unable to breach the target set. It gave away 22 runs as extras.

However, Abhishek from Team Interactive Avenues was the most economical bowler of the lot. In the 18 balls he bowled, he gave away just 11 runs and clinched three crucial wickets. The opening pair of Shreyas and Mayur from Team Interactive Avenues scored 27 and 28 runs, respectively, and paved a smooth way for the victory run of their team. Mayur was declared the Man of the Match, while his side walked away with the closely-fought match.

The next match of the day was between Interactive Avenues (A) and Multi Screen Media. The former won the toss and decided to bowl first. Team Interactive Avenues set a convenient target of 74 runs after losing five wickets. The chasing team met the target in just six overs.

The experienced batsmen of Team Multi Screen Media did nothing other than to stay on the crease and play cautiously. The top three in the batting line-up wrapped up the innings. Ameya, Vishal, and Pratik from the side scored 23, 32 and 15 runs, respectively. Though Team Interactive Avenues gave away 19 extra runs, it made up for the loss by its measured batting performance. Team Multi Screen media won the match by six wickets. Vishal of Team Interactive Avenues was declared the Man of the Match as he gave 12 runs in 12 balls and also took a wicket.

The last match of the day was between GroupM (A) and Indigo Systems. The former won the toss and decided to bat first. Team GroupM set a target of 83 runs after losing all its wickets in 8.5 overs. The opposing team snapped the opportunity and met the target in nine overs. Team GroupM was seen floundering in front of the stiff bowling attack from the opponents. Shiv and Gajanan of Indigo Systems snapped two wickets each. Gajanan proved his bowling prowess when he took two wickets in the lone over he bowled. He was adjudged the Man of the Match. Team Indigo Systems won the match by four wickets.

For the complete scorecard, click here.

Amar Ujala AMCL-2012/02 is supported by Zee Studio and DNA. Cricket Today is the magazine partner for the tournament.