RIYADH — Probable contenders looked comfortable in their respective groups as Independence Day Cup 2015, organized by Mumtaz Sports Academy, entered its second week of action here. Twenty teams are fighting for the coveted trophy. They are divided into four groups comprising 5 teams each. Two teams from each group will advance to the quarterfinals. The Man of the Match awards for the first two weeks were given away at the banquet hall of Niagara Restaurant. The ceremony was presided over by Aijaz Ahmed Khan, President of JCA. Other dignitaries present: Rafeeq Ahmed (Owner of Mumtaz Group of Hotels), Moazam (CEO of Al-Wafaq Group), Dr. Ashraf, Mohammed Abdul Jabbar, Shahbaz Farooqi, Mir Mohsin Ali and Khaled. The second week results show great competition in Group A with 4 teams (Rockstarz, Concord, United and FFCC) winning both their league matches. Al-Mousim Champs are leading the table in Group B, while others failed to open their accounts on the points table. Some promising teams such as Super-XI, Victorious and Chennai Stars are expected to up the ante in the upcoming matches. Lustre Cricket Club looks set to lock its spot atop Group C after winning both its opening matches with a run rate of 7.91 which takes it almost out of the reach for other teams in the group. Two other Group C teams, Nawabs-XI and Deccan Warriors, have also opened their accounts and are expected to prove their mettle. Newstar Cricket Club, known for its long batting line-up and fighting spirit, has also won both its league matches so far. Chennai-XI and Peace Cricket Club have also recorded wins but expect stiff challenge ahead. Some memorable performances were registered with the bat in the initial stages of the tournament. Imran Shahzad of Newstar Cricket Club blasted 151 with 18 sixes. Vishnu of Lustre Cricket Club scored an entertaining 138 with 18 sixes. Other centuries in the tournament came from the blades of Mohammed Saeed of Concord Cricket Club and Ikhlaq Hussain of Victorious Cricket Club and Fayaz from Nawabs-XI. The stars with the ball so far have been Sohail from Peace CC, followed by Mohammed Saqlain of Al-Mousim Cricket Club and Shaikh Abdul Khader of Chennai-XI with 4 wickets each. All the statistics of the tournament are available at myCricLife.com. Mumtaz Sports Academy thanked its partners and participating teams and looks forward to some exciting matches.
