Patna: SDV Public School emerged victorious over five-time champions Dony Polo Public School, claiming the title with a six-wicket win in the 38th All India Sukhdeo Narain Memorial Inter-School Cricket Tournament, known as one of the state’s most prestigious school cricket competitions.
The day-night final, held on the international-grade turf wicket of Urja Stadium, provided an IPL-style experience. Before the match, AIIMS Director Dr Sanjeev Kumar, along with Dr Alakh Kumar Sinha, Bijoy Kumar, and Ajay Kumar Sinha, were introduced with the players. The organising committee presented each guest a Tulsi plant, in keeping with the tournament’s theme, One Tree for the Nation.
The ceremony began with a two-minute silence to honour the tournament’s inspirations, including late luminaries B P Sinha, Shaligram Prasad Singh, Sukhdeo Narain, and others. The national anthem was then sung, accompanied by an impressive drum performance, cheerleaders, and fireworks. The guests praised tournament organiser Chunnu for his 38 years of dedication to nurturing young talent, calling him a national asset in sports.
In the match, Dony Polo captain Piyush opted to bat first after winning the toss. His team scored 132 runs for nine wickets in the allotted 20 overs. Key contributions came from Sushant (32 runs, including two boundaries and two sixes), Amritya Chaudhary (29 runs, three sixes), Rohit Pandey (28 runs, two boundaries), and Anmol (12 runs). For SDV, Divyansh took two wickets for just 14 runs, while Kumar Shan picked up two wickets for 31 runs.
Chasing 133 to win, SDV Public School reached their target with four wickets down in 14.5 overs, posting 135. Rishu led the charge, scoring an impressive 32 runs with two sixes and four boundaries, thrilling the crowd with his skilful play. Support came from Ronit (23), Abhishek (23), Vikas Krishna (22 not out), and Kumar Shan (26 not out), guiding SDV to a solid victory. For Dony Polo, Haratik Seth took two wickets for 29 runs. Kumar Shan was named Player of the Match.
At the prize distribution ceremony, MLC Binod Kumar Jaiswal, former President of Bihar Cricket Association, alongside international umpire L.P. Verma, Players Association President Mritunjay Tiwari, former IAS officer Pradeep Kumar, and tournament observer Vishnu Shankar presented awards. Anjali Kumari received the Prabha Devi Memorial Award for her contributions to women’s hockey in Bihar. The JP Srivastava Memorial Award went to emerging player Parth from Divine International School.
Other awards included:
- Tilak Raj Gandhi Award: Arman Ahmed, New BD Public School
- Kamala Sharan Singh Award: Yash Raj, Cambridge Public School
- Naresh Kumar Sinha Award: Piyush Kumar, Dony Polo Public School
The winning and runner-up teams received trolley bags under the Shaligram Prasad Singh Memorial Award. Additional individual honours were as follows:
- Player of the Tournament: Amritya Chaudhary, Dony Polo Public School (tracksuit)
- Best Batsman: Piyush Kumar, Dony Polo Public School (bat)
- Best Bowler: Hartik Seth, Dony Polo Public School (bowling boots)
Match officials, including Atendra Kumar, Neeraj Kumar, scorer Priyanshu, and official Ravindra Mohan, received the Ashok Agarwal Award. Outstanding commentator Mrityunjay Jha was honoured with the Indu Narayan Memorial Award. Among the many dignitaries present were Nikhlesh Ranjan, Rajesh Kumar, Saurabh Chakraborty, and other notable guests, making it a memorable event.
