Panache, a housing society in Sector V, marked the inauguration of an artificial turf by hosting the third edition of Panache Premier League.
The tournament took place in three legs - for men, women, children and senior citizens. The kids' leg was the first to wrap up, with the finals having taken place earlier in the day. The winners were Panache Warriors.
"Panache is an active society where the average age is 37 years, and everyone is directly or indirectly participating in the sports activities happening in here. A total of 18 teams have participated across age and gender groups,” said Anant Ladha, secretary of Panache association, who was playing in the tournament, as were his wife and his father. “My nine-year-old son is supporting us by wearing our team jerseys,” he added with a smile.
Jaswant Setia, the sports head of Panache association, said he was overwhelmed with the number of participants in the third edition. “We had 180 players signing up,” he beamed.
The Blue Warriors with the trophy
The women's final was scheduled at prime time, at 7pm on a Sunday. So a large audience gathered at the Panache Society Ground for the decider between the Blue Warriors Women and the Firebirds Women, cheering for their respective teams.
Veeneta Dhanadania, of the Firebirds Women, looked excited. “My son and I, both of us have been playing,” she said, pointing to Kanvs. “My team couldn't make it to the finals but my mom is playing tonight, and I am cheering for her,” said the Class XI student of Birla High School.
The match was tied after Blue Warriors chased down 89 runs in 10 overs. The result was determined by a dramatic super over in which the Blue Warriors scored 8 runs and the Firebirds could only muster 3 runs, faced with a target of 9 to win. This was the second victory for Blue Warriors out of the total three PPL seasons.
The senior citizens' final took place right before the women's final on the same day and featured Panache Lions and Kings XI. The senior players made up in passion what they lacked in fitness. “My father-in-law is playing in the seniors team. He got injured in one of the practice matches. We suggested that he take a runner to reduce the physical strain but he refuses and wants to play like a professional,” said Aditi Ladha, the secretary's wife.
Pankaj Agarwal, playing for the Lions, said: “I played cricket as a child. After a long gap, I resumed playing last year in our society's matches. Thanks to Panache society for taking such an initiative for senior citizens,” he said, as he warmed up to take the field. “Our team won last year, and this year too we are in the final, so we are hoping to win,” he said.
While Agarwal scored 51 runs in three overs and took one wicket, his teammate Binod Sharma scored 70 runs in three overs and took 3 wickets. Sharma was the man of the match in the finals also as their team, Panache Lions, won by 32 runs.
The opponent, Kings XI did put up a strong fight. Kapil Arora from Kings XI was named the Player of the Tournament in the Seniors category, with 102 runs in three overs and 2 wickets. “I am not completely in form this year, but we shall win next year with the same team,” he promised.
The Kings XI may have lost but they surely won hearts. Mala Maheswari, an active member of Panache Utsab club, admitted to being “a fan of Kapilji”. “We all like his enthusiasm and the way he entertains us through his innings. All the senior citizen teams have performed really well. Hats off to their dedication and enthusiasm.”
Her husband, she said, was playing in a seniors team as were her son and daughter-in-law. “But I am supporting everyone in the society, as they are like my extended family. There is so much unity that every match, every event feels like a family get-together here.”
Some players who couldn't make it to the finals stayed back to cheer for others. “ This game takes me back to college days as I used to play cricket then. I have taken a week off from office to participate here just as I used to bunk classes to play cricket,” said Subharata Chatterjee, who works in a multinational company in Mumbai. His team did not feature in the finals but he was lending vocal support to the other teams. “The most unique thing about this event is the seniors citizens' participation, I also feel more energetic and younger to see them playing so well.”
Black Panthers, which lost in the finals, was the most consistent team of the PPL, having reaching the finals for the third time in a row. However, this year the trophy went to the Gladiators. The Man of the Match for the men's event was Abhishek Verma, scoring 51 runs in 33 balls. Rajib Subudhi took home the Best Batsman trophy and four Man of the Match awards. He was named the Player of the Tournament as well.