Amar Ujala AMCL 2013: Rousing start in Delhi and Mumbai

The fifth edition of the Amar Ujala Agency and Media Cricket League (AMCL) started off over the weekend, with the first of the league matches in Mumbai and Delhi.

The AUAMCL, a unique opportunity for the cricket amateurs in the community to pit their skills on the cricket ground, is widely liked as much for its exclusivity as for its format, an eight-a-side, 10-over shootout. The league has a bit of its own tradition too now, like the practice of the opposing team's captain giving away the Man of the Match award to the player of the winning team. This year, the league will be held in Delhi and Mumbai, with the finals in Delhi. Multi Screen Media is the defending champion.

Amar Ujala AMCL 2013: Rousing start in Delhi and Mumbai

As always, batting performances were peppered with fours and sixes, and there was some outstanding bowling too, as desk-bound executives rolled back the years and pulled out exceptional shows. So much so, that a sparse but knowledgeable crowd of passersby and those enjoying the winter sun turned out to watch the matches.

Regular players aver that the fitness standards at the league are improving all the time, and bowling and fielding, which were earlier problem areas for most teams, have also improved steadily, noticeably in the fielding and catching.

In Delhi, the opening weekend's show was Times Internet all the way, as the team from the Times Group rolled over both its opponents, Dentsu Media and Amar Ujala, comprehensively. Prateek Katariya was the star in both victories, with two Man of the Match awards to show for it.

Amar Ujala got the better of Dentsu Media in the third match, and wrestled a victory by 70 runs. Manmohan played the star turn here, with a 36-ball innings that yielded 98 runs.

In Mumbai, the first match of the league was played between India.com and Publicis, with Publicis romping home to an easy victory, led by an outstanding effort from Man of the Match Atmaram. DDB Mudra played India.com next, and beat it handily, with Pinaki Mukherjee collecting the Man of the Match award. In the third match between DDB Mudra and Publicis, DDB Mudra collected its second comfortable win, led by Ravindra's Man of the Match-winning effort to top the group.

For detailed scores and schedule, check out the AUAMCL site here.

Watch out for the special prediction contest, where you could win some amazing prizes for predicting the winners correctly.

The Amar Ujala Agency and Media League is brought to you by Amar Ujala, and supported by Sony TV and Cricket Today magazine.

Have news to share? Write to us atnewsteam@afaqs.com