Pics: Thejaswi U Poojary
Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (TP)
Udupi, Feb 2: The Brahmavar HMC United Tennis Ball Cricket Trophy, which was controversially cancelled midway, concluded on Monday with the winners being decided through a lucky draw. In the draw process, the Khushi Amar Panchajanya team was declared the champion, while Jaikarnataka, Bengaluru emerged as the runners-up.
The selection process was held during the press conference held on February 2 at Manipal Inn Hotel, Udupi. Prize money was distributed to the winner, runners-up, and the other semifinalist teams - Izaan Chaithanya Fighters H M Ektha and Friends Bengaluru, with each team receiving Rs 5 lac, amounting to a total prize distribution of Rs 20 lac.
The HMC United Tennis Ball Cricket Tournament was organised at Brahmavar by HMC United from January 23 for three days. Known as one of the highest prize-money tournaments in the history of tennis ball cricket, the event featured 16 selected teams. Players from Bengaluru, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Sri Lanka, and Gulf countries represented various teams. The prize money announced was Rs 25 lac for the champions and Rs 15 lac for the runners-up.
However, on the final day of the tournament, January 25, a controversy erupted during the last moments of the quarterfinal match between Johnson Kundapur and Panchajanya, leading to chaos. As maintaining law and order became difficult, the organizers decided to cancel the tournament. The incident triggered widespread debate on social media.
Subsequently, the matter was resolved at the police station, and the Johnson Kundapur team, which was at the centre of the controversy, was disqualified. The Khushi Amar Panchajanya team was then declared as having qualified for the semifinals.
A lucky draw was conducted among the four semifinalist teams - Jaikarnataka Bengaluru, Friends Bengaluru, Izaan Chaithanya Fighters H M Ektha, and Kushi Amar Panchajanya. Panchajanya and Jaikarnataka advanced to the final, where another coin toss resulted in Panchajanya being declared the champion.
Tournament organiser Shakeel Honnala provided details of the entire process. HMC United honorary president K P Ibrahim Matapady, president Sanjeev Kotian, Shafi Ahmed, and others were present on the occasion.