As the first month of 2020 tumbled away, there was a noticeable change in the atmosphere. An electric buzz of excitement could be felt coursing through the veins of SVNIT. Manoj Memorial Night Cricket Tournament (MMNCT) had returned. What once started as an effort to immortalize the late Manoj Kumar’s memory has now transformed into something much bigger. 5 days of cricket frenzy and non-stop action, with your own friends at the center stage, what more can you ask for?
On the evening of 22nd January, the tournament that SVNIT loves commenced with a curtain-raising clash between the Shaolin Monks (Faculty) and the Vikings (B.Tech. 2nd Boys). The next 4 days witnessed everything from chants, die-hard fans, Mickey Mouse, and centuries being bludgeoned by players in pink, to shawarma, biryani, panipuri, frankies, and piping hot tea being savoured by spectators. As cricket fever gripped SVNIT, students of all years flooded the ground each day, transforming it into a cricket arena.
After 5 days of absolutely thrilling cricket matches (some of which went down to the wire), 4 teams made it to the grand finale. The first final between the Bealonians (M.Sc. Girls) and the Samaritans (B.Tech. II Girls) began under the picturesque pink and orange skies of sunset. The Samaritans won the toss and chose to bat. However, the Bealonians’ bowling prevented them from racking up a large score, and they only put up 33/8 in their allotted 10 overs. In an anti-climactic battle, the Bealonians made a mockery of the target, chasing it down easily and clinching the title of MMNCT 2020 Girls Champions.
The next final was anticipated to be a high-voltage clash between Vengeance (B.Tech. 3rd Boys) and Samurai (Localites). Samurai won the toss and chose to bowl in the all-important match, which proved to be a masterstroke. Vengeance were bowled out in 14 overs, scoring 88/10. A daunting task lay ahead: defending just 88 runs with 16 overs to bowl. Vengeance kept a tight lid on the scoring in the initial part of the 2nd innings, but once the Samurai exploded, there was no stopping them. The two centurions from Samurai, Rishabh Rathi and Vaibhav Kinra, joined forces in the middle to blast their way to the total, and Samurai were crowned MMNCT 2020 Boys Champions.
Sports have the magical power to unite people, and MMNCT’s 15th edition did just that. It brought an entire institute of people from diverse backgrounds together onto a single field, where every boundary, six, dot, wicket, and milestone were cheered as loudly as possible. The cricket fever may have subdued, but the spirit of the game lives on.
Renesa congratulates all the teams that participated in MMNCT 2020 and wishes them best of luck for the future.
SUMANT S. DANGI
Junior Editor, Renesa
This article was originally written for and published on Renesa – The Official Media and Publication House of NIT Surat. It was originally titled “MMNCT 2020”.
