New Delhi: The Delhi Premier League – School Juniors, an inter-school cricket tournament organised by the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) in partnership with Hindustan Times, began on an exciting note at the Netaji Subhash Sports Complex, Jasola Vihar on Friday.
With 16 of Delhi’s top school teams – including Modern School, Delhi Public School, Bal Bharti Public School and Green Fields school – participating, the tournament aims to unearth and nurture young cricketing talent across the capital.
The opening day featured four high-energy knockout matches with the teams battling it out in 10-overs-a-side games as per the tournament format for the initial rounds.
In the first match, DPS Vasant Kunj edged past Kulachi Hansraj Model School by 10 runs. DPS posted 66/4, and despite a fightback, Kulachi Hansraj could only manage 56/6. Pratyaksh Ojha was named Player-of-the-Match for his all-round performance.
DPS RK Puram registered a dominant 51-run victory over Hansraj Model School, Punjabi Bagh. Batting first, DPS RK Puram scored 102/4 and then restricted their opponents to 51/7 in 10 overs. Rohan Sarin was the Player-of-the-Match award.
The third match saw Bal Bharti Public School romp to a 10-wicket win over DPS Mathura Road. DPS scored 77/6 and Bal Bharti chased it down, reaching 78 for no loss. Batter Divyansh Malik was adjudged Player-of-the-Match.
In the final match of the day, Vidhya Bharti School defeated Green Fields School by two runs in a low-scoring thriller. Vidhya Bharti were 40 all out, but restricted Green Fields to 38/8 in their 10 overs. Aman Chaudhary was Player-of-the-Match.
The tournament serves as a grassroots activation platform to amplify the excitement and positioning of Delhi Premier League season 2 which will be played in August.
The quarter-finals will also be a 10-overs-a-side competition. The semis and final will be 20-overs-a-side matches. The top three teams will win cash prizes and trophies.