HARYANA GOVERNOR HARYANA BANDARU DATTATRAY FELICITATED THE TEAMS
Face2News/Chandigarh/Panchkula
The finals of the 17 days long Chandrashekhar Azad T20 Tournament witnessed an electrifying contest as HIIMS Hawks pulled off a stunning comeback to defeat Wild Woods Warriors by 17 runs in the grand finale played at Tau Devi Lal Stadium, Panchkula on Sunday. The champion team defended their modest target of 184 while Warriors were comfortably placed at 131/1 in 13th over. An exceptional bowling from Hawks wrapped up last eights wickets in just 29 runs to seal the win in their favour.
Earlier, Wild Woods Warriors opted to field first, looking to capitalize on early breakthroughs. However, HIIMS Hawks set a challenging total of 183/8 in their 20 overs, powered by a solid 58 off 52 balls from Shivam Bhambri and an explosive 42 off 22 deliveries by Nehal Pajni. Contributions from Nikhil Sharma (27 off 16 balls) and a late blitz by Jashanjot (20 off 7 balls) ensured a competitive target. Sahil Kumar (2/29) and Raman Bishnoi (2/45) shared two wickets each.
Chasing 184 for victory, Wild Woods Warriors looked on course for a comfortable win with maintaining a healthy run rate of over 10. Tushar Joshi hammering 64 off 36 and Aarush Bhandari contributing 37 off 26. However, the game took a dramatic turn as HIIMS Hawks bowlers turned the tide. Rahul Singh (3/25) led the charge with a match-winning spell, while Ritik Sandhu (2/18) and Gaurav Gambhir (1/27) provided crucial breakthroughs. A series of quick dismissals derailed the Warriors’ chase, restricting them to 166/9 at the end of their innings.
Chasing 184 for victory, Wild Woods Warriors looked on course for a comfortable win with maintaining a healthy run rate of over 10. Tushar Joshi hammering 64 off 36 and Aarush Bhandari contributing 37 off 26. However, the game took a dramatic turn as HIIMS Hawks bowlers turned the tide. Rahul Singh (3/25) led the charge with a match-winning spell, while Ritik Sandhu (2/18) and Gaurav Gambhir (1/27) provided crucial breakthroughs. A series of quick dismissals derailed the Warriors’ chase, restricting them to 166/9 at the end of their innings.
Present on the occasion, while facilitating winner and runner up teams in the presence of Gain Chand Gupta, Former Speaker, Haryana, former cricketer Ashok Malhotra, Sanjay Tandon, UTCA, Dr Rupesh Singh, Chairman, Tournament, the chief Guest Governor of Haryana - Bandaru Dattatray emphasized upon the importance of platform provided by UT Cricket Association for nurturing world class players for the future. UTCA’s initiative in recent times for grooming cricketers from such a small city is truly commendable.
He encouraged the other five teams, stating that cricketers should draw inspiration from statesmen—sometimes they win, sometimes they lose, but they must remain committed to their work.
In his address, Sanjay Tandon, President, UTCA, expressed his satisfaction with the seamless execution of UTCA’s first-ever franchise-based tournament. He emphasized that this success has strengthened the tournament’s foundation, setting the stage for its growth and contributing to the development of cricket in Chandigarh.
Those who present on the occasion includes Devender Sharma, Secretary, Yuvraj Mahajan, Vice President, CA Alok Krishan, Treasurer, Ravinder Singh Billa, Joint Secretary, Apex Members - Daniel Banerjee, Hari Singh Khurana, all the owners of franchise teams, Educationalist Dr Ashu Kataria, Chairman, Aryana Group of Colleges, Rekrit Serai, Managing Director, Satluj Groups of Schools, Amarjit Kumar and other dignitaries of the city.
At the end, the noted singers Harsimran, Miss Sandeep and Shavy Virk regaled the present audiences.