The Airoli Premier League 2 promised to be competitive, intense, aggressive and incredible from the moment the names of the captains were announced. Last time's winning captain Mr. Johnson Gaikwad decided to continue as a captain of the Loyal Challengers for APL 2 as well & the star studded list of captains included Mr. Alistair Nadar (Allstar Hawks), Mr. Ajit Fernandes (Airoli Avengers) & Mr. Selwyn Santmajor (The Wolf Pack).
This was an underarm turf Cricket tournament which was played at Mauli Turf, Opposite Mazidun High School, Sector 8A, Airoli on Sunday, 23rd February. The teams were chosen via a fun auction without involving any money in the presence of the 4 captains who used their skills and experience to assemble the best team possible. All 4 teams looked balanced on paper and there were no clear favorites for anyone to chose from. Prior to the tournament, each team had a photoshoot with their customized jerseys showcasing their unity and bond.
The tournament kick started in the best possible way with the game between Airoli Avengers and Allstar Hawks & it went down till the last ball and eventually ended in a draw with both teams scoring 69 runs each & sharing a point.
Up next was another nail biting finish between the Loyal Challengers and The Wolf Pack, with 7 runs required from the last ball, The Wolf Pack managed to secure victory with a dot ball right when it mattered and successfully defended 67 runs.
Allstar Hawks went head to head against Loyal Challengers next with both teams looking for their first win of the tournament & this turned out to be another game that went down to the wire but this time the Allstar Hawks managed to chase the target of 69 with 2 balls to spare.
The Wolf Pack and Airoli Avengers played each other in the next game & the Avengers switched on their superhero mode to defeat The Wolf Pack comfortably by chasing 54 runs and all but securing their place in the next round.
The Wolf Pack then played Allstar Hawks in a do or die situation with a lot at stake. A win would guarantee them survival and a defeat would mean that their fate would not be in their own hands, however, in another super close match, it was The Wolf Pack who held their nerves to reign supreme by defending 79 runs against possibly the best batting lineup on paper.
The last match of the group was between Loyal Challengers who were already eliminated due to the other results but were playing for pride as the defending champions and the Airoli Avengers who were playing to win to qualify directly for the finals & they were a team on a mission as they managed to defeat the Loyal Challengers by defending 67 runs and went on to top the points table undefeated whilst securing a place in the grand final.
The Wolf Pack & Allstar Hawks went head to head again in the semi finals & it promised to be a high scoring game. The Wolf Pack were on a mission right from the first ball and they only wanted to set a target which would almost seem impossible to chase. They ended up scoring a record setting 106 runs in 5 overs (highest in the history of the APL) and managed to restrict Allstar Hawks at 58.
The grand final was now between Airoli Avengers and The Wolf Pack & whatever could go wrong for the Avengers went wrong in the finals as the gameplan of The Wolf Pack worked perfectly and they managed to get the Avengers all out for 34 runs. The Airoli Avengers now had the most difficult task of the day at hand - to stop the team with 3 of the 5 top run scorers and the team which scored over 100 runs in their last game. Avengers got their dream start with a wicket in the first over, however, it would create no difference in the gameplan of The Wolf Pack as they chased the target with 10 balls to go and secured their status as the champions of the Airoli Premier League Season 2.
Mr. Jeston Dsouza from Allstar Hawks was the top run scorer with 100 runs, the 2 wonderkids from The Wolf Pack - Patrick Barrow & Nishit MJ were the top wicket taker & the MVP respectively, both only 16 years of age. Mr. Selwyn Santmajor was the MVP for the 35 or above player category and Miss. Annie Nadar was the MVP for the girls.
The event ended with a wonderful prize distribution ceremony which united every player and helped them understand the cause of this tournament and the importance of sports to make a parish united.
Overall, this was one of the best tournaments and certainly an enjoyable one for all cricket lovers. The team will now focus on the upcoming Inter parish events in March and April with a hope of adding 2 more trophies to our existing trophy cabinet.
