Karnataka Team Emerges as Champion of IA&AD South Zone Cricket Tournament 2025.

 - *Karnataka Team Emerges as Champion of IA&AD South Zone Cricket Tournament 2025*

- *Karnataka Team showcased exceptional performance in all departments, earning them the championship title*

- *Arjun Hoysala from Karnataka Team scored 99 runs, narrowly missing a century, and created a tournament record for the highest individual score*

- *Ankit Mishra from Kerala Team took 9 wickets, emerging as the Best Bowler of the tournament.. Karnataka team captain J. Suchith was declared the Best Player*

- *Vedant Bharadwaj from Tamil Nadu Team was declared the Best Batsman*

- *Former Parliament member Gokaraju Gangaraju presented awards to the winners and runners-up.

- *Senior officials from the Principal Accountant General (Audit) Office, Vijayawada, expressed their delight at the tournament's success*

 

  Amaravati (prajaamaravati);

The IA&AD South Zone Cricket Tournament 2025, hosted by the Principal Accountant General (Audit) Office, Vijayawada, concluded with Karnataka Team emerging as the champion. The four-day tournament, held from February 10-13, 2025, at the ACA International Cricket Stadium in Mangalagiri, witnessed intense competition among teams from Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh-Telangana.

The final match between Karnataka and Kerala teams was a thrilling encounter, with Karnataka ultimately claiming the championship title. Karnataka Team's outstanding performance in all departments, including batting, bowling, and fielding, earned them the top spot.

Former Parliament member Gokaraju Gangaraju presented the championship trophy to the Karnataka Team and awarded prizes to the winners and runners-up. Ankit Mishra from Kerala Team was declared the Best Bowler, taking 9 wickets throughout the tournament. Vedant Bharadwaj from Tamil Nadu Team was named the Best Batsman.Karnataka captain J. Suchith was adjudged the Best Player.

The tournament's success was attributed to the collective efforts of the participating teams and the organizing committee. The Principal Accountant General (Audit) Office, Vijayawada, expressed their delight at the tournament's success.

On this occasion, former Parliament member Gokaraju Gangaraju spoke and said that the match was interesting. He also stated that the people who came to watch the cricket match enjoyed it thoroughly.Gangaraju further stated that winning and losing are natural in sports. He appreciated that everyone participated in the tournament with a sporting spirit.

Vijayawada School of Planning and Architecture Director Professor Dr. Ramesh Srikonda spoke on the occasion, stating that the Karnataka and Kerala AG teams played cricket in a manner that was on par with professionals. The employees of the Indian Audits and Accounts Department showcased their skills in cricket. He emphasized that winning and losing are part of the game and should be taken in a sporting spirit.

Principal Accountant General (Audit) Sharat Chaturvedi also spoke and said that the officers working in the AG office enjoyed playing cricket. He congratulated them for that and also appreciated that everyone enjoyed the final match. Karnataka team's score was chased by Kerala team, but they struggled in the middle level, he added. Nevertheless, he appreciated Kerala team's sporting spirit.

The final match, which began at 9:30 am on Thursday, was thrilling from start to finish. The match was played between Karnataka and Kerala teams. Batting first, the Karnataka team scored 190 runs in the allotted 20 overs. Karnataka batsman Arjun Hoysala scored 99 runs in just 49 balls, including 10 fours and 5 sixes, at a strike rate of 194.12, mesmerizing everyone. He missed scoring a century by just one run.

Arjun Hoysala became the top scorer in the tournament, scoring the highest runs in a match. Sharath B.R. scored 31 runs in 12 balls, contributing to the team's score. Later, Nikin John tried to accelerate the scoring, playing some excellent shots that delighted the spectators.

Although it was expected that the Karnataka team would score over 200, the team's score progressed slowly towards the end due to the fall of wickets. Among the Kerala bowlers, Ankit Mishra took 3 wickets for 30 runs in 4 overs, while S. Midhun took 2 wickets for 35 runs in 4 overs.

Chasing a target of 191 runs, the Kerala team scored 162 runs in the allotted 20 overs, losing 10 wickets. Kerala batsman Manukrishnan scored 42 runs in 23 balls, while Shyamson scored 30 runs in 20 balls and MD Shahbaz Hussein scored 26 runs in 19 balls, attempting to win the match for their team. However, Karnataka bowler Aditya restricted Kerala to 162 runs, taking 3 crucial wickets for just 18 runs in 4 overs. Nikin Bose, who excelled in batting, also bowled well, taking 3 wickets for 37 runs in 4 overs. Another bowler, Jai, took 2 wickets for 21 runs in 3 overs, contributing to Karnataka's victory.

In the tournament, the Kerala team won matches against Andhra-Telangana and Tamil Nadu but lost in the semifinals. The Tamil Nadu team won matches against Andhra-Telangana and Karnataka but lost in the semifinals. The Andhra-Telangana team played well but unfortunately did not taste victory. However, they delighted the spectators with their good performance.

The first-ever South Zone tournament, organized by the Principal Accountant General's office in Vijayawada, was a success. The higher authorities, officers, and staff of the concerned department expressed happiness over the tournament's success. 

The event was attended by Principal Accountant General (A&E) Shanthi Priya, Senior DAGs K. Bhaskar, Kishore Reddy, and DAGs Rakesh Nayak, N. Nikhila, Lalit Kumar, and others.