Lucknow : In an exhilarating finale at the KD Singh Babu Stadium, the Times of India team emerged victorious over DD-AIR XI by 26 runs in the Ekana Media T-20 Cup 2025 cricket tournament, thanks to stellar batting performances from Man of the Match Devesh Pandey (44) and Abbas Rizvi (36), complemented by incisive bowling.
Batting first, the Times of India posted 146 runs for 7 wickets in the allotted overs. Pandey’s 44 runs came off just 30 balls, featuring seven boundaries, while Rizvi contributed 36 runs from 31 balls with four boundaries. Rajeev Srivastava added 18 crucial runs to provide the team a strong platform. For DD-AIR, Sudhir Awasthi took three wickets, keeping the opposition in check.
Chasing 147, DD-AIR offered strong resistance but were restricted to 120 runs in 19.5 overs. Awasthi top-scored with 33, supported by CS Azad (29) and Jitendra Bhatia (14). For the Times of India, Mohsin Usmani picked up three wickets, while Anish Oberoi, Shalabh Saxena, and Prem Shankar claimed two wickets each.
Special Awards:
- Man of the Series: Sudhir Awasthi (DD-AIR)
- Best Batsman: Devesh Pandey (Times of India)
- Best Bowler: Anish Oberoi (Times of India)
During the closing ceremony, Chief Guest Dr. Rajeshwar Singh, MLA, Sarojini Nagar, presented awards to the winners and runners-up. MLC Engineer Avnish Singh also lauded the players for their outstanding performances.
The event was attended by notable dignitaries, including Dr. RP Singh (Sports Director, UP), Dr. Anandeshwar Pandey (Secretary, UP Olympic Association), Munawwar Anjar (Secretary, UP Judo Association), retired RTO AK Tripathi, Praveen Garg (President, Wovinam Association of India), Anil Agrawal (Managing Director, St. Joseph Group of Institutions), Dr. Atul Sinha (Regional Sports Officer, Lucknow Division), Chandra Prakash Gupta (Media Manager, Lucknow Super Giants), Jubair (Media Spokesperson, Integral University), and social worker Dr. Sudha Bajpai.
Addressing the gathering, Dr. Rajeshwar Singh emphasized the importance of physical fitness and mental alertness for journalists, stating, “Sports inspire thousands of young people, and when journalists maintain both physical and mental well-being, they contribute to the true defense of the nation and its democracy.” He also announced plans to propose the creation of a Journalist Welfare Fund and a Skill Development Centre to train journalists in handling fake and deepfake content in the AI era, to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Additionally, Dr. Singh announced that ₹5 lakh from CSR funds would be allocated to host a national-level media cricket tournament in Uttar Pradesh, further strengthening the bond between sports and media in the state.
