In a thrilling cricket final, SRCA Stars from California emerged as the deserving champions of the MLC Under-14 (Division B) Thanksgiving Tournament, overcoming the challenge posed by YGCA Miami Stormers (Fort Lauderdale).
The final match was held at Miramar Regional Park in South Florida. Aadithiya Dev Mitra, the captain of YGCA Miami Stormers, flipped the toss but Saanvi Immadi, captain of SRCA Stars, made the right call and chose to bat.
SRCA Stars posted a formidable total of 179 runs in their allocated 30 overs. Suhrut Naresh was the top scorer with an impressive 69 runs off 60 balls, which included three sixes and six fours.
Maahi Madhavan also made a valuable contribution with 32 runs off 35 balls. YGCA Miami Stormers’ bowlers faced a tough challenge, with Ranveer Nayyar taking two wickets and Dev Mitra, Bhavyansh Sachwani, and Pranav Narayan each securing one wicket.
In pursuit of a target of 180 runs, YGCA Miami Stormers made a strong start, with Dev Mitra and Manvik Reddy matching each other’s strokes. However, Dev Mitra fell in the 9th over with the score at 47. Unfortunately, YGCA Miami Stormers never fully recovered from this setback and were bowled out for 134 runs in 27.4 overs.
Soham Phadatare showed resilience during the latter part of their innings, contributing 27 runs off 30 balls.
The only other notable scores were Reddy’s 23 off 35 balls and Dev Mitra’s 22 off 26 balls. Harsh Dattani was the standout bowler for SRCA Stars, claiming three wickets, while Ram Kuruganti and Arnav Anand took two wickets each, and Saanvi took one.
Tournament commenced on November 18
Suhrut Naresh was rightfully awarded the MVP of the final, recognizing his outstanding performance.
The four-day tournament commenced on November 18 and featured matches primarily held on various grounds across Broward County. This event was hosted by the Young Genius Cricket Academy (YGCA), known as the premier youth cricket academy in South Florida. The tournament featured 14 teams from across the United States, with a total of 28 games played during the competition.
Throughout the tournament, several notable matches took place: Chicago Grizzlies defeated MLCA Atlanta Lions by 34 runs on the opening day, YGCA Miami Stormers secured a 79-run victory over Cincinnati MCA Conquerors, Austin Thunder won by six wickets against NJ Bluejays, Houston Sparks emerged victorious with a 76-run win over Philly Crushers, Detroit Terminators defeated NACA Starz by 19 runs, SRCA Stars registered a four-wicket win against Denver Dynamites, Future Star Eagles secured a six-wicket victory over Boston Colts.
The second day witnessed several exciting encounters, with NJ Bluejays defeating Sparks by nine wickets and NACA Starz winning by eight wickets against Philly Crushers, among others.
On the penultimate day, Cincinnati MCA Conquerors beat NJ Bluejays by five wickets, and Denver Dynamites triumphed over Boston Colts by 104 runs. Other notable matches included the Philly Crushers’ victory over MLCA Atlanta Lions and the Detroit Terminators’ win against Houston Sparks.
Outstanding individual performances
The tournament also recognized outstanding individual performances, with awards presented to notable players:
- Alok Priyesh from Detroit Terminators received the Best Batter award for scoring 242 runs.
- Krishna Chintamaneni, also from Detroit Terminators, earned the Best Bowler award for taking 10 wickets.
- Aryan Rewaria from Austin Thunders was named the Best Fielder for achieving six dismissals.
- The Best Wicketkeeper award was jointly shared by Anshul Vedam from Future Stars Eagles and Aditya Vijey from SRCA Stars, both registering 14 dismissals behind the stumps.
- Alok Priyesh was honored as the MVP of the Tournament.
This remarkable achievement by SRCA Stars and YGCA Miami Stormers saw both teams advance to the coveted Division A of the MLC Junior Championship, along with Future Star Eagles.
This marks a significant milestone, particularly for the local team from the Young Genius Cricket Academy (YGCA). YGCA Miami Tornadoes, an Under-16 team, had previously won the Division B championship earlier in the year.
The MLC Junior Championship, Under-14, Division B, proved to be a grand success during its first appearance in Broward County, Florida.
The Young Genius Cricket Academy (YGCA) played a crucial role in hosting the tournament, showcasing national talent, and fostering youth cricket in South Florida.
The organizers and supporters of YGCA received praise for their efforts in bringing national talent to South Florida and promoting youth cricket in the region. For further information about YGCA, interested individuals can reach out to Tilak Mitra at 954-263-9050 or Anirudh Kalluraya at 561-221-3881.
Additional updates can be found on their website at https://www.ygcapanam.com and on Instagram at @ygcapanam.
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