Dainik Bhaskar AMCL 2010: Lintas puts up a strong show to rout OMD on Day 2

On Sunday, January 17, Delhi woke up to a pall of thick fog, and the Venkateswara College Ground wasn't spared either. Day 2 of the second Dainik Bhaskar Agency and Media Cricket League (DBAMCL) tournament, organized by afaqs! and sponsored by Dainik Bhaskar, therefore, got off to a delayed start.

The first match was scheduled to start at 9:30 am, but the visibility was very low. From one end of the ground, one could barely see the centre wicket. Therefore, the umpires decided to start the match later. With precious time lost to the vagaries of weather, all matches in the day were restricted to eight overs a side, instead of the stipulated 10 overs.

Stung by its humiliating defeat at the hands of MPG India on Day 1, Diamond Magazines took the field on the second day with greater urgency. But it was not easy for the publishing house, as it ran into the well prepared team of Karmatech, which batted first.

If the Sun God had decided to play truant on this gloomy day, Karmatech opener, Nitin Kumar was padding up to play a bright knock that lit up the Venky Cricket Grounds.

Kumar was off to a good start and plundered 10 runs in the first over. The young opener played shots all round the wicket and was particularly severe on anything bowled at his pads. Scoring at a strike rate of 200+, he raced to his 50 in just 23 balls. He remained unbeaten at 53 off 24 balls, including 6 fours and 2 huge sixes.

Kumar was ably supported by Rahul Khosla, who remained not out on 26 off 12 balls (3x4, 2x6). With these two good knocks, Karmatech posted 98 runs in eight overs, setting a steep target for Diamond Magazines.

The second match of the day was the most looked forward to, as in-form OMD took on the strong side of Lintas. Coming from a resounding win over Turner India on Day 1, OMD batted first.

However, superb seam bowling from Ganesh and Damodar stifled OMD's batting. At the end of five overs, OMD were 28 for 4, scoring at less than one run a ball. Sachin Kumar tried to hold his team's innings together with a well compiled 40 off 25 balls (5x4, 1x6), but that was not enough, as OMD managed a paltry score in eight overs.

The target was small, but team Lintas didn't take it easy. Openers Venkat Subramanyam and Damodar played patiently to see that their side didn't lose any early wicket. Even though Sachin Tooriya got rid of Subramanyam, team OMD gave away quite a few extras. Lintas had a comfortable win, reaching the winning total in the seventh over itself. With this strong performance with the bat and ball, Lintas has emerged as a strong title contender this time.

In the third match of the day, J9 took on GroupM. J9 had conceded a walkover in their first match on Saturday, while it was the first outing for GroupM in Dainik Bhaskar AMCL 2010.

Batting first, J9 India scored briskly, as the sun showed up very briefly during their innings. Nakul and Kunal were the fulcrum of J9 India's batting, as they guided their team past the 100 run mark in just eight overs. Nakul was out for 27 off 20 balls with 3 boundaries; while Kunal was unconquered at 38 off just 18 balls, with 4 fours and a couple of sixes. J9 set their opponents a steep target of 106.

GroupM didn't have the best of starts, losing their first wicket in the first over itself. Tirthman and Abhilash tried to steady their team and scored at every opportunity, taking the score to 46 for 1 at the halfway stage of the innings.

However, a couple of good overs got J9 back with a bang. Tirthman's 36 and Abhilash's 33 were just not enough for their team, as J9 won the match by 12 runs.

The last match of the day was played between Group M and Carat Media.

GroupM batted first, but could not face the onslaught of Carat Media's seamers. Opening bowlers Rahul Sharma and Nitish bowled a tight line and length, accounting for three wickets between them by the third over. Kinshuk and Dilip Daniel tried to show some resistance, but both the batsmen fell for an identical score of 19, as GroupM finished at 69 for 5 in eight overs.

Chasing 70, Carat Media had no problems whatsoever, with opener Sahil displaying a good array of strokes to score a quick-fire 32. Carat reached the winning total in the seventh over, for the loss of two wickets.

It was a cold day, but there was no letdown in the passion to compete, as the teams played their heart out on the second day of Dainik Bhaskar AMCL 2010.

For score details, click here.

Dainik Bhaskar AMCL-2010 is being supported by associate sponsors including Open Media, STAR News and All Sports Magazine. Radio partner for the cricket tournament is Red FM and outdoor partner is Bright Outdoor Media. Online support to the AMCL-2010 has been extended by Cricketnirvana.com.