Evontech's most awaited EPL event came back with its 6th edition. As grand as the last season was, EPL 2023 introduced two more teams into the mix, adding an extra edge to an already competitive arena. With seven teams competing, this was bound to be an exciting season. Intense competition unfolded from the 7th of October onwards, at Gurukul Cricket Academy, and later at the Doon Strikers Cricket Club
It was thrilling to see the defending champions LS Dragons of Logic Simplified defend their title, and Mobile again aiming to secure the championship they narrowly missed out on last season. While PHP, Jaguars, and Tech Warriors tried to bounce back from their previous performances, the two new teams, Py Warriors and Native Lions, were a fantastic development that added a fresh dynamic to the competition.
In addition, each team in this year's tournament featured one female player during the group-stage matches. Akshata Pande, Akriti Rawat, Riya Rawat, Indu Rawat, Priyanka Rawat, Jaishree Arya, and Priyanka Rana. All of them contributed significantly to their respective teams. The EPL season delivered several thrilling moments and memorable matches. Here’s how it all unfolded.
Group Stage
In the group stage teams were divided into two groups with 3 and 4 teams, respectively.
To qualify for the league stage every team had to compete with other teams in their group and stay in the top 2. The group stage had its fair share of excitement and surprises. By successfully clearing the group stage, Mobile, Tech Warriors, PHP, and Py Warrior entered the league stage, and secured their spots in the finals. The defending champions LS Dragons, along with Evon Jaguars and Native Lions, couldn’t make it.
League Stage - Road to The Finals
Everyone was waiting for Sunday, the 29th of October, to find out which teams would compete in the championship finals. The first match between PHP and Mobile was crucial, with high stakes on the line. If PHP won, they would have secured their spot in the finals, but even if Mobile won, PHP still had a chance. Mobile batted first and posted a formidable score of 185 runs. In order to reach the finals, PHP needed to score 186 runs in 120 balls. Unfortunately, PHP was all out in 15.4 overs, managing to score only 120 runs.
Mobile played exceptionally well and became the first team to secure a spot in the finals, once again.
During the second match, Py Warrior was up against Tech Warriors. Unfortunately, Py Warrior had already lost both of their league matches, which meant they were already eliminated from the tournament. On the other hand, Tech Warrior needed a big win to keep their hopes of advancing to the finals alive. Surprisingly, Py Warrior managed to put up a massive score of 198 runs, overpowering Tech Warriors' pace attack. Tech Warriors were now tasked with chasing 198 runs in 102 balls in order to make it to the finals.
In a record-breaking chase, Tech Warriors scored 202 runs in just 86 balls, setting a new record in the EPL. With this win, they secured their place in the finals.
Mobile, PHP, and Tech Warriors demonstrated their strength in their league matches, making the competition to advance to the finals tough.
The PHP team, who are considered one of the favorites in the tournament, deserve a mention. They played well, but luck and net run rate were not in their favor. The final match was between Mobile and Tech Warriors. As a little backstory, these two teams faced each other in the 2019 finals, with Tech Warriors emerging as the champions.
Mobile was seeking revenge, while Tech Warriors were aiming to repeat history.
The Finals
On November 5th, 2023, everyone gathered at Doon Strikers Cricket Club for the first-ever day-night EPL finals, witnessing a thrilling rivalry on the cricket ground.
The Mobile team won the toss and decided to field first. As anticipated, the bowlers from the Mobile team had a strong start and kept the Tech Warriors' score to a minimum. However, thanks to a fantastic knock of 46 runs in 44 balls by Ankur Sharma, the Tech Warriors managed to score a decent total of 127 runs. Despite losing some early wickets, Mobile persevered through the partnership of Jitendra Bhumiyal and Kuldeep Butola and kept the game going.
The game was a real nail-biter, with our hearts racing until the very last ball. It's hard to put into words just how amazing that night was. At one point, it seemed like Mobile was going to win, but the Tech Warriors kept snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. It all came down to a crazy, nail-biting moment on the last ball of the over, where the match could've gone into a tie and gone for a super over. Despite Mobile's best efforts, the EPL champions for this year were the Tech Warriors. This was Mobile's third year in a row making it to the finals, only to come up short once again. It was truly heartbreaking to see them lose by just one run. Tough luck!
The teams expressed their gratitude to Sumeet sir and Chauhan sir for making the event possible and then even more special by attending it and cheering the teams. A big shoutout to everyone who came out to support their favorite teams and players. Finally, thank you to all the organizers: Sachin Joshi, Nitish Rawat, Subhod Kotiyal, Vaibhav Kumar, Rajiv Dhyani, Aayush Sakuja, Rahul Rawat, Nishant, Sumeet Panwar. Special thanks to Moumita for handling our funds, and to Lalit Pundir for providing advice and helping organize the EPL.
Congratulations to Tech Warriors, and well played Mobile. The EPL helps us connect as cricketers and sportspersons outside the workplace, giving us an opportunity to interact with our colleagues and form bonds beyond work, tasks, and targets. We had some exhilarating matches throughout the tournament, and even as the adrenaline rush settles, we already can’t wait for the next edition of EPL at Evon, a software development company in India.
