The 19th of February to 1st of March saw the 14th edition of an epic cricket extravaganza namely the D Y Patil T20. Sixteen teams battled for the coveted championship trophy in thirty-one action-packed league matches that left the viewers both entertained and enthralled.
The matches took place both at the university and stadium grounds at the D Y Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai. Also making a cameo was the Talegaon campus grounds which made its first ever appearance in the series, and by the testimonials of the renowned players themselves, it proved its worth in terms of both infrastructure and crowd response.
Another first achieved by this series was the live telecast of sixteen matches on Facebook viewed by over a million fans who cheered on for their favourite teams enthusiastically from the comfort of their homes.
The first 7 days of the series saw every team play 3 league matches each, to qualify to the quarterfinals.
Post this they went head to head in thrilling knockout matches, commencing from Day 8, steadily moving closer to the championship trophy.
Day 9 saw overwhelming action from both the semi-finals and finals making for a spectacular day with unparalleled gameplay between four excellent teams namely, BPCL; CAG; Reliance 1 and D Y Patil ‘B’.
The much awaited finals were played under the floodlights as the finalists, BPCL and Reliance 1 competed in a stimulating match that had the crowd, both in stadium and online, intoxicated by the gripping spells of batting and bowling interspersed by the entertaining performance of the dynamic cheerleaders making for a sensational experience.
In an epic finale, the D Y Patil T20 cup 2018 was lifted by Reliance 1 who successfully defended their title and proved their worth on the pitch with their outstanding skills and strategic game.
The splendid series showed great fervour throughout and its end only left a greater challenge for the ever-determined organisers to return with a bigger, better edition of the beloved D Y Patil T20 continuing its tradition of achieving greater milestones whilst offering a platform for India’s cricketing stars to demonstrate their athletic prowess and engage with the ever-excited crowd.