Sunday, March 1, 2026

Unbeaten Harshal shines in Sakal's 105-run win

SJAN Inter-Press T20 tournament 

Harshal Kuthe’s match-winning 94 helped Sakal to get the better of Loksatta by 105 runs in the SJAN Inter-Press T20 cricket tournament at the Vasant Nagar ground on Sunday.

Batting first, Sakal scored 174-7 in 20 overs. While Harshal remained on 94 with the help of nine hits to the fence and three sixes, Amit Roshankede added 23 runs. For Loksatta, Rajeshwar Thakare took a hat-trick giving away 41 runs.

In reply, Loksatta were bowled out for 69 in 13.1 overs. Nilesh Doye top-scored with 30, Sumit Admane, Prajwal Harne and Avishkar Deshmukh took two wickets each for Sakal.

Later, former VCA president Sudhir Dabir presented the man of the match award to Harshal.

BRIEF SCORES: Sakal 174-7 in 20 overs (Harshal Kuthe 94, Amit Roshankede 23, Prashant Roy 3-35, Rajeshwar Thakare 3-41) bt Loksatta 69-10 in 13.1 overs (Nilesh Doye 30, Sumit Admane 2-12, Prajwal Harne 2-15, Avishkar Deshmukh 2-24) by 105 runs.

 





 

 Sakal vs Punyanagari action pics







 

Saturday, February 28, 2026

Patil, Dabhekar guide TOI to semifinals in SJAN

Inter-Press T20 Cricket


Nagpur: Leading from the front, Piyush Patil delivered an all-round performance to take The Times of India to the semifinals of the 26th Inter-Press T-20 Cricket Tournament organised by the Sports Journalist Association of Nagpur (SJAN).

In their last league match, played at Dhanwate National College's Vasant Nagar ground, The Times of India defeated Navbharat by 40 runs.

Batting first, TOI scored 119 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in the stipulated 20 overs. Sandeep Dabhekar top-scored with 47 runs, while Piyush Patil contributed 22 and Rupesh Bhaik added 18 runs. For Navbharat, Junaid Sheikh took 3 wickets and Abhishek Singh claimed 2 wickets.

Later, TOI defended the modest total, with Patil making the Navbharat batters dance to his tunes. Patil scalped 4 wickets, giving away just 14 runs. Atul Pande continued to be consistent as the seasoned campaigner claimed 3 wickets in his quota of 4 overs.

Chasing the total, Navbharat's innings folded at 79 runs in 17.4 overs. Barring Manish Shrivas' 17 runs, Sameer Mohanty (15), and Rakesh Phender (12), none of their batters reached double figures.

Chief guests Bankers Sports Council vice president Sharad Padhye and secretary Ravi Joshi presented the Player of the Match award to Piyush for his all-round performance.

On Saturday, Sakal will play Punyanagari at 8.30 am.
















 

 

Ganar leads Deshonnati to victory with unbeaten half century in SJAN cricket


Nagpur: Sandeep Ganar's unbeaten half-century innings gave Deshonnati a four-wicket win over Punyanagari in the 25th Inter-Press T20 Cricket Tournament organised by the Sports Journalist Association of Nagpur (SJAN) at the Vasant Nagar ground on Thursday.

Batting first, Punyanagari's innings folded for 118 runs in 18.3 overs. Deepak Mane scored 39 runs off 31 balls with 3 fours and 1 six, while opener Shrikant Kotgule made 30 runs (22 balls, 2 fours, 1 six).

Samrat Gotekar and Shubham Borghare took 3 wickets each, while Roshan Bhusari claimed 2 wickets. Deshonnati achieved the victory target of 119 runs in 15.3 overs, losing 6 wickets. Opener Ganar smashed an unbeaten 80 runs off 46 balls with the help of 11 fours, giving his team their first victory.

Deepak Mane and Pankaj Pande took 2 wickets each. Sandeep was honoured with the Man of the Match award by Raisoni Group's public relations officer Amit Gandhare.

On Friday, The Times of India will take on Navbharat at 8.30am.






Thursday, February 26, 2026

 Nitin Pataria's All-Round Performance in Lokmat's 162-run win





Nagpur: Centurion Nitin Pataria's all-round performance powered defending champions Lokmat to crush Loksatta by 162 runs and register their second consecutive victory in the 26th Inter-Press T-20 Cricket Tournament organized by Sports Journalists Association of Nagpur (SJAN).

At the Vasant Nagar ground on Wednesday, Lokmat won the toss and elected to bat first, piling up a mountain of 231 for 4 in the stipulated 20 overs. Opener Pataria smashed 106 runs off 51 balls with the help of eight fours and seven sixes. Besides, Sharad Mishra scored 70 off 43 balls with one four and three sixes, while Sarang Walwatkar made 35 runs. For Loksatta, Manoj Chandankhede took the maximum three wickets.

The victory target of 232 runs proved beyond Loksatta's reach as their innings folded for 69 runs in 14.1 overs. Ajinkya Dalal scored 11 while Chandankhede and Suraj Nimbalkar made 10 runs each. Lokmat's Devendra Sadavarti took the maximum four wickets giving away just six runs. While Sachin Khadke and Pataria claimed three and two wickets respectively. For his all-round performance, Pataria was presented the Man of the Match award by cricket coach Sunil Mujumdar. 


On Thursday, Punyanagari and Deshonnati will square up at 8.30am.

 








 





Wednesday, February 25, 2026

 Nimbarte scalps five as TOI-MT defeat Dainik Bhaskar by 93 runs


Nagpur: Prashant Nimbarte took five wickets as The Times of India (TOI-MT) defeated Dainik Bhaskar by 93 runs in the SJAN Inter-Press T20 cricket tournament at the Vasant Nagar ground on Tuesday.

Dainik Bhaskar won the toss and invited TOI to bat first, restricting them to 139. Openers Sandeep Dabhekar (30) and Subodh Ratnaparkhi (20) gave TOI a good start. Piyush Patil (22), Manish Thakare (20) and Amit Paunikar (16) also reached double figures, but TOI were all out for 139 on the last ball of their innings.

For Dainik Bhaskar, Sujan Masid took 4 wickets.

Defending the total, TOI bowled a consistent length and dismissed Dainik Bhaskar for 46 in 8.3 overs. Nimbarte delivered a four-over spell in which he took five wickets for 19 runs. Atul Pande took three wickets off nine balls, conceding two runs.

Nimbarte was adjudged Man of the Match. Vidarbha Ranji team coach Usman Ghani presented the award.

On Wednesday, Lokmat will face Loksatta at 8.30 am.

Brief Scores: The Times of India 139-10 in 20 overs (Sandeep Dabhekar 30, Piyush Patil 22, Subodh Ratnaparkhi 20, Manish Thakare 20, Amit Paunikar 16, Sujan Masid 4-18, Sudhir Mehare 2-16, Shrikant Bhalerao 2-17) bt Dainik Bhaskar 46-10 in 8.3 overs (Shrikant Bhalerao 21, Prashant Nimbarte 5-19, Atul Pande 3-2, Rupesh Bhaik 1-25) by 93 runs.