BHUBANESWAR 08-Dec-2013 136
Media-XI achieved a creditable hat-trick by winning the Tata Steel Friendship Cup Cricket Tournament for the third time in row at Infosys ground here on Sunday. Riding on a 30-ball 35 by Subhranshu Padhy, Media XI crushed Bureaucrats` XI in the repeat final by eight wickets. Bureaucrats` XI too notched up a hat-trick as they finished runners-up for the third successive year.
Put into bat, Bureaucrats XI compiled 93 for one in the stipulated 12 overs. Debi Priya Biswal was the top scorer with an unbeaten 49, while Aniruddh Singh contributed an unbeaten 24. In reply, an explosive start by Padhy and Aravind Giri (29) helped the mediamen romp home with five balls to spare.
Organised by Tata Steel, the seventh edition of the day-long tournament, involving four teams, proved to be an excellent event for legislators, bureaucrats, mediamen and Tata Steel employees to take a break from their busy professional schedule and have fun through cricket.
Earlier in the semi-finals, Bureaucrats` XI (113/4 in 15 overs) trounced Tata Steel XI (64/10 in 14.2 overs) by 49 runs, while Legislators` XI (37/9 in 12 overs) lost to Media XI (41/0 in 4 overs) by 10 wickets.
State Chief Secretary Jugal Kishore Mohapatra inaugurated the annual tournament in the presence of Energy Minister Arun Sahu, Sports Minister Ramesh Chandra Majhi and Tata Steel India and South-East Asia Managing Director T V Narendran.
IPL Governing Council Chairman Ranjiv Biswal and Tata Steel Deputy Vice-president (Operation, Kalinganagara Project) Arun Misra handed over the trophies at the closing function.
Debi Priya Biswal, who earlier hit a sparkling 58 in the semifinals, was adjudged the best batsman and man of the tournament. Media XI allrounder Faizal Ali, who bagged four wickets in the semifinals, was awarded as the best bowler while his teammate Subhranshu Padhy received the prize as man of the final match. The award for the best fielder went to Dayal Gangwar of Bureaucrats` XI.
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PHOTO: Tata Steel Friendship Cup champions Media XI team in Bhubaneswar on December 8, 2013.
