It’s in the air and the bug has bit us all. Of the “Royal Challengers, Dare Devils, Super Kings, Kings Eleven, Knight Riders, Deccan Chargers, Rajasthan Royals and the Mumbai Indians. Want to take a quick guess? Yes, we are talking about the Indian Premier League. Having hit the world of cricket with a bang, it has already created enough waves for all of us to take note of. And now for all we know this might become the criterion for the times to come. The rest of the world has taken it pretty enthusiastically too. Maybe the new format and the celebrities who bid for the different made the difference. Be it the bollywood stars or business tycoons, the platform was set for all of them to come under one common platform and be equals amongst the rivals. And of course how can we forget the double treat for which the fans were inà the cheerleaders with a restraint in their dresses and dance as well.

Well, if you thought that the bug was restrained outside the borders of Lavale Village valley, then think again. What does it take an idea to develop? An innovative mind, a collaborative team and a few hands to nurture it. All of which was omnipresent at FLAME.


A group of enthusiasts, loaded with ideas in their heads approached our chairman. The idea was to hold FLAME’s own IPL—the FCL (FLAME Cricket league) and what’s more, purely galli ishtyle as they call it. So was it descriptive. FLAME was to hold a cricket league in galli cricket style. With a total of 6 teams and 7 overs a side, it was turned into a game of nerves. The most interesting rule was that the bowlers had to bowl under arm. Each team was to play for 7 overs and hitting a six would make the player head towards the pavilion which is very anti galli cricket so to say. A no ball would give the privilege of a free hit to the batsmen. Each team was to have 13 players a side which would comprise of 3 girls and a total of 9 would play on field. The team comprised of players from 3 different categories, namely A, B and C (which comprised of girls). 4 players were selected from category A, 6 from category B and 3 from category C. The players were divided into the above categories according to their credentials towards the game.

And if you think that we did not have bidders, you are in for a very big surprise. Our very own faculty members played the roles of bidders. The team owners were as follows- Mr. Parag Shah, Prof. Yashwant Thorat, Miss Pooja Shah, Prof. Santosh, Prof. Himanshoo & Prof. Hoshiar and Major General Raj Mehta. The teams were picked by their respective bidders by picking up chits. Once the team owners announced their offers to the teams, the players picked up the bid that they liked. The bids were alluring enough for the teams to create havoc on the tennis court—

• Mr. Parag Shahà Whatever the team wants.
• Prof. Yashwant Thoratà A visit to Kolhapur.
• Miss Pooja Shahà A party at Oasis.
• Prof. Santoshà A trek, trip to the tapir and a dairy milk chocolate.
• Prof. Himanshoo/Prof. Hoshiarà Rs. 5000 in cash.
• Major General Raj Mehtaà Dinner.
   

And what followed was a 3 day mega event that had set FLAME’s football field on fire. 3 days of non-stop cricket under the flood lights, what more could one have asked for? No post graduate or under graduate college in the whole country would have thought of organizing something so unique. With 3 matches being played in a day’s time, the players had enough time to strategize or recuperate from any injuries that they would be suffering from. Having started on the 3rd of April, Prof. Santosh and General Mehta’s team opened the 3 day saga. Prof. Thorat and Miss Pooja’s teams played the next match and the day ended with General Mehta’s and Prof. Himanshoo/Prof. Hoshiar’s team closing the day’s play. Day two’s atmosphere was getting heated as the fight was on to enter the semi finals. The evening began with the match between Miss Pooja and Mr. Parag’s team. The second match was between Prof. Santosh and Prof. Himanshoo/Prof. Hoshiar teams. And the day closed to an end with Mr. Parag’s and Prof. Thorat’s team playing each other. The last day saw the semi final and the grand finale taking place. Prof. Himanshoo/Prof. Hoshiar’s and Miss Pooja’s team played the first semi final followed by Prof. Santosh’s and Prof. Thorat’s teams respectively who played the second semi final.

The final match however drew the whole college together. Be it the associates, the faculty and of course the students, all of them were present in person to witness the decider between Miss Pooja’s and Prof. Thorat’s team. What turned into a nail biting finish had Miss Pooja’s team walking away with the honors. Captained by Darshan, the team put forth a mammoth total in front of their rivals and the captain keeping his bidder’s faith, lead from the front, having scored a half century before the opponents could even realize. The bidder, Miss Pooja had sponsored t shirts for her players and the team had named itself as the “Sultans of Swings”.

There was so much to do, but so little time. The organizing committee which comprised of Hardik Sheth, Amit Doshi, Aagam Sheth, Kund Sapani (Mama), Rahul Kamboj and Ankesh Kothari couldn’t have done without the support of the chairman, Mr. Parag Shah who stood by them right from the beginning till the end of the event. The continuous signing of documents, giving suggestions, brainstorming and finalizing things were taken care of and done with, without any hassles. The pitch was ready in a span of three days which wouldn’t have been possible but for the efforts that were put in by Mr. Tushar and his team. Under the able guidance of Darshan Shah, the pitch along with the diameter of the field was decided.

Like every other cricket match the FLAME Cricket League had commentators as well. Samarjeet and Akshay gave live commentary and kept the audience enthralled with their sense of humour. And like a flavor to an ice cream we had our very own official D.J. Malay playing the music. There was hardly any element whose absence could be felt. Any that comes into your mind? Do you think that a game of cricket is complete without sledging? Absolutely not. The sledging though friendly in nature, had gone to the extent of distracting the players so much so that they got out in the following balls which obviously led to a tiff and created some pressure cooker like pressure on the umpires.

The refreshments were offered by the Pit Stop. A stall had been put up by Ajay, the CEO of the Pit Stop and snacks such as sandwiches and wada pavs were made available for the players.

Considering the huge success of the event which saw the whole of college come down together and enjoy, plans for the next year’s FCL are already under process. So much was the craze of the game that even after the matches were over a bunch of 25 students continued playing under the lights.