Minor League Cricket 2024: Teams brace for Super 8s
After a gruelling league stage that saw about a hundred games being played over five weekends, the Minor League T20 (MiLC), the 25-team tournament underpinning America's Major League Cricket (MLC) has now reached its Super 8 stage. The 8 teams now have been clustered into two groups as they battle it out in a round-robin format before the group winners lock horns for the finals on October 6 at the Grand Prairie Stadium near Dallas.
@B0$
The power-packed @B1$ come charging in the Super 8s after dropping only a solitary league game this season. The fact that they wrapped up the league stage with an NRR of 1.47 tells of their mostly one-sided crusades right through the season. Sujith Gowda shot back to form after a switch back to the Blazers in grand style. Gowda, the rock at the top for the Blazers, amassed 291 runs in 8 innings along with 3 half centuries. MLC's newest sensation, 21-year-old Sanjay Krishnamurthy, turned heads again with a prolific all-round show. Krishnamurthy enters the Super 8s in red-hot form with 3 half-centuries in 4 innings. Fast bowler Rushil Ugarkar built on his MLC experience with MI New York as he spearheaded the Blazers attack with 14 wickets in his kitty in 8 games.
Gajanand Singh remained in blazing form for the @B2$ after being snubbed by USA selectors. The East Zone bowlers seemed devoid of a riposte of any kind as Gajanand ran amok with 248 runs in 8 outings with 4 of them being unbeaten. The 36-year-old Gajanand was at his devastating best, clubbing 23 sixes in 8 innings. He formed the bulwark of the Cavaliers batting along with his former countryman and former West Indies international Chanderpaul Hemraj. The big-hitting Kennar Lewis has punched below his weight this season but remains a threat on the big day against any opposition. Former Pakistan international Najaf Shah made regular inroads with the new ball. The 39-year-old wound the clock back to end up with the most miserly ECON of 4.38 from the East Zone. The glut of seasoned professionals makes Cavaliers one of the favourites this season.
After being tied jointly at 11 points, @B3$ edged past the St. Louis Americans by a bare margin on the points table to book their Super 8 berth. Promising young left-hander Rehman Dar sprung back into the reckoning with a couple of sparkling half-centuries after an extended season at the top of the order. Skipper Aakarshit Gomel has endured an underwhelming season so far but teams may be wary of the former Mumbai batsman who's shown glimpses of his destructive batsmanship albeit sporadically. Gomel's Giants revolve around his Mumbai teammate and all-rounder Shubham Ranjane for the balance he provides. Ranjane has had an invaluable impact with the bat and the ball at the death to swing some key games for the Giants.
After 3 total washouts out of their 8 allocated games, the rain gods almost played spoilsport for @B4$' prospects to sneak into the Super 8s. But the Raptors made enough hay during the sunshine. The Raptors lost only a single game of the remaining five. The incessant rain in the South Zone also resulted in truncated games for the Raptors. The lack of quality time in the middle for their batsmen may be a cause of concern for them as Trevon Griffith's breezy innings of 50 off 25 deliveries continues to be their only half-century effort. The Raptors would bank heavily on former WestIndies all-rounder Christopher Barnwell's experience and his power-hitting might with the willow in hand.
@B5$
The @B6$ strutted into the Super 8s unscathed. The Kingsmen's total dominance in the Central Zone, considered the most competitive in the country, is reflective of the depth of talent they possess in their ranks. The Kingsmen were left without all-rounder Hassan Khan, the breakout star of this year's MLC, after his impromptu CPL call up but that hardly left a ripple. With 5 former Pakistan internationals with varied skill sets in their roster, the Kingsmen are the most terrifying on paper and the frontrunners to clinch the silverware.
After failing to make it to the Super 8s last season, the @B7$ have rediscovered their mojo with some key acquisitions that helped turn the tide after the franchise was left beleaguered with several high-profile exits after their championship run in 2022. Ruben Clinton, one of the most expensive buys of the domestic MLC draft flattered to deceive in the MLC this year but has been striking at an average of 50 to find himself at the top of the MiLC batting charts for the season. Leg spinner Abhijai Mansingh has had the West Zone batsmen in a tangle with 13 scalps in 30 overs and would be a handful in the Dallas' dry wickets.
The@B8$punched above their weight to pull off a playoff spot despite losing captain Jasdeep Singh and young sensation Sai Teja Mukkamalla to national duty. The Stallions batsmen paid the price of playing on some substandard T20 wickets right through the season. Dominique Rikhi (64 off 38) and former UAE all-rounder Rohan Mustafa (46 off 23) seized the Stallions only opportunity to bat on a decent surface with a couple of blitzy knocks against the New England Eagles. The Stallions relied on spin twins Siddharth Matani and Sachin Mylavarappu to exploit the low and slow wickets of New York as they shared 18 wickets amongst themselves.
@B9$were the twin beneficiaries of the torrential rains in South Zone along with the Morrisville Raptors. The Royals, much like Raptors, were left at the mercy of the rain gods and other permutations and combinations in the group to advance to the Super 8s after three rained out games. MLC discard and one time IPL player Sarabjit Ladda proved to be a nightmare with his leg spin, snaring 8 wickets at a miserly rate of 4.94. Jacobus Pienaar gave an account of his brute power with a match winning 88 against the Ft. Lauderdale Lions. Pienaar and Abdulahad Malek form a ferocious pair at the top of the order for the Royals. With the flair of batsmen like Kunwarjeet Singh and Ravi Inder Singh to follow, Royals batting boast of some serious batting in their fold.