Ranji players at Kanga after MCA’s club cricket diktat

First-class players Dhawal Kulkarni (New Hind SC), Tushar Deshpande (Parsee Gymkhana) and off-spinner Tanush Kotian (Karnatak SA) were seen in action for their respective teams for the first time this season in Sunday’s Dr HD Kanga Cricket League games

Mumbai Cricket Association’s (MCA) decision to make it mandatory for their probables to play club cricket has produced the desired result as of now. First-class players Dhawal Kulkarni (New Hind SC), Tushar Deshpande (Parsee Gymkhana) and off-spinner Tanush Kotian (Karnatak SA) were seen in action for their respective teams for the first time this season in Sunday’s Dr HD Kanga Cricket League games.

However, Maharashtra’s left-arm spinner Akshay Darekar (6-26) stole the show to help National CC beat Regal CC in a Division A game at Cross Maidan. Put into bat in a match which started at 1.30pm, Regal were bowled out for 75, thanks to Darekar’s disciplined bowling. Four out of his nine overs were maidens as he claimed his first fifer of the season. Pacer Ravindra Solanki supported him well, claiming 3-20. 

National CC secure first win

In reply, National CC declared their first innings at 76-4. with  Mumbai U-19 batsman Ayush Vartak scoring 41 not out (7x4). But it was skipper Prayag Bhati’s (8 not out) timely six over long-off off pacer Mohammed Khan (2-32) that earned National a maiden win this season. The six turned a probable drawn game into victory for the Cross Maidan club since it started raining heavily immediately.

National CC’s left-arm spinner Akshay Darekar bowls v Regal CC at Cross Maidan on Sunday

Darekar, 35, who played his last first-class game against Railways in 2018-19, reckoned that his Kanga League performance will help him make a comeback in Maharashtra’s Ranji Trophy team. “A match-winning performance in Kanga League or Times Shield matters a lot. In the first Kanga League game against Payyade SC, I took four wickets and remained unbeaten to draw the match. Today [Sunday] we won, so it has definitely boosted my confidence,” Darekar told mid-day.  

In a drawn game, Mumbai player Kotian’s figures against DY Patil Sports Academy at the Karnatak SA ground were 12-3-27-2 while Kulkarni bowled eight overs against Sind SC and claimed one at Oval Maidan. Deshpande’s five-over spell against Payyade SC read 5-4-1-0.   

At the PJ Hindu Gymkhana, Police Gymkhana beat hosts to register their second win in the tournament. Batting first, PJ Hindu declared their first innings at 88-9. Police pacers Shreyansh Bogar and Amol Tanpure claimed four and three wickets respectively. In reply, Aaryaraj Nikam (42 not out) and opener Sunil Patil (39 not out) achieved the target for Police Gymkhana to declare at 92-2.

Walinjkar claims 10 wickets

Meanwhile, left-arm spinner Atish Walinjkar’s 10-wicket match haul helped Ours CC beat United Friends SC in a Division D match at Oval Maidan. Walinjkar claimed 5-17 to dismiss United Friends for just 51. In the second essay too United Friends batsmen found it tough to tackle Walinjkar and were bowled out for 10 with Walinjkar claiming 5-3. Spinner Aman Tiwari, who claimed 3-15 in the first essay, bowled well in the second innings as well, claiming 5-7. Ours CC declared their first innings at 53-3.    

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