After struggling to find enough warm-up games, the new T20 captain Ravi and his team were
eager to test their fitness and form. Fortunately, it was a beautiful, sunny day to kick off the
2025 season. Two matches were scheduled for April 5, 2025, at ACC, and below is the
summary of both. A different approach was applied to test the team strength by the captain,
16 players were selected to participate across the two games.
Match 1
After winning the toss, the Brussels Strikers elected to bowl first. The 12 Stars had a shaky
start, losing both openers early. However, the innings was steadied by Nemish, who
anchored the middle overs with a well-compiled 45 off 37 balls, featuring seven boundaries
and a six. He was supported by Bhushan, who contributed a valuable 27 runs. Later in the
innings, Raunak, Rajiv, and Ravi chipped in with 22, 14, and 14 runs respectively. Extras
played a significant role in boosting the total, with the opposition conceding 26 runs,
including 23 wides. In the end, the 12 Stars posted a total of 166 runs.
Defending a target of 166, 12 Stars’ bowlers came out firing. Brussels Strikers lost their
captain for a duck in the very first over and never recovered. With no significant
partnerships, the batting order collapsed, and they were bowled out for 79 in 18.1 overs.
Srikant stood out with the ball with 3 for 13 in 4 overs and was well supported by Ani with
1 wicket in 4 overs. Shreyans also did well and took 3 wickets for 16 runs in his 3-over spell.
Nemish and Ravi cleaned the rest. The fielding was sharp, backing up the bowlers for a
comprehensive team performance.
Match Summary:
- 12 Stars CC: 165/7 in 20 overs
- Brussels Strikers CC: 79 all out in 18 overs
- Result: 12 Stars CC won by 86 runs
In the end, 12 Stars began their BCF T20 Cup 2025 campaign with a dominant 86-run
victory over Brussels Strikers Cricket Club. This win showcased 12 Stars’ balanced effort
across both batting and bowling departments.
Match 2:
After a short break for refreshments, the second match of the day saw 12 Stars choses to
bat first after winning the toss. Batting first, 12 Stars set the tone from the outset. Sazzad
provided fireworks at the top, hammering 58 off just 23 balls with 8 fours and 3 sixes.
Sandeep Saila followed with a steady 52 off 36. The real carnage came later, with Nemish
smashing 65 off 27 and Rajiv Sharma blasting an unbeaten 41 off only 14 balls. The onslaught,
along with 29 extras, powered 12 Stars to a massive 285/6 in 20 overs. Brussels Strikers’
bowlers had a tough outing. Despite taking six wickets, they couldn’t contain the aggressive
batting. Ramakant (2/37) and Venkatesan (2/41) were the only bowlers to show some
control, while Suraj bore the brunt, conceding 62 runs in his 4 overs.
Chasing an enormous 286, Brussels Strikers faltered again. They were bundled out for just
89 in 17.3 overs. Only Manish (16) and Bhushan (15) reached double digits. The bowling unit of 12 Stars was relentless. Ahmad led the attack with 2 for 19 in 4 overs and was well
supported by Sharifullah with 1 wicket in 3 overs. Following-up, Jimmi, Ravi, and Manoj, also
did well and took 2, 1, and 3 wickets respectively. Fielding was also top-notch, Sazzad took
some outstanding catches, including a couple of impressive juggling efforts.
Match Summary:
- 12 Stars CC: 285/6 in 20 overs
- Brussels Strikers CC: 89 all out in 17 overs
- Result: 12 Stars CC won by 196 runs
This win not only underlined 12 Stars’ dominance but also gave their net run rate a boost, a
possible advantage in the tournament. Their all-round performance serves as a great
confidence boost ahead of tougher challenges over the coming weekends.
Overall, it was a perfect day for cricket, and the 12 Stars performed exceptionally well with
two well-executed wins. These victories will surely help the team build momentum for the
rest of the games.
