Saudi Arabia: Cloud7, Enerco and Pan Gulf are winners of SCC T20 Youm Al Watni Cup
Eastern Province Cricket Association (EPCA) Dammam recently organized the 1st edition of the Youm Al Watni T20 Cricket Cup sponsored by Saudi Cricket Centre (SCC). SCC T20 Youm Al Watni Cricket Tournament began on October 9, 2020, with 40 teams participating divided into 3 divisions. Premier division consisted of 10 teams, Prime division consisted of 10 teams and First division consisted of 20 teams.
Quarter Finals of first division and semi-finals of all divisions participating in the SCC T20 Youm Al Watni Tournament were held at EPCA grounds on November 6, 2020. Results are as follows:
Quarter Final 1 – First Division: Khobar Rangers C.C. (KRCC) defeated Khobar Gymkhana C.C. (KGCC) by 7 wickets. KGCC set a target of 142/5 runs. KRCC easily chased the target with wonderful innings played by Waheed Ur Rehman scoring 63(44) hitting 11 boundaries.
Quarter Final 2 – First Division: Adpco Friends C.C. defeated Young Guns C.C. by 6 wickets. Batting first, Young Guns C.C. set a target of 147/7 in 20 overs with Tauseef Ali scoring 69(44). Adpco Friends convincingly chased the target in 14.1 overs with the help of blistering innings played by Hamid Ali scoring 61(35) hitting 10 boundaries and being awarded the man of the match.
Quarter Final 3 – First Division: Cloud 7 C.C. qualified for semi-finals after defeating Young Stars C.C. in a one-sided match by 8 wickets. Young Stars batted first scored 112/9 while Cloud 7 C.C. chased the target easily in 9.3 overs. Vindeed Mohanan was awarded man of the match for his performance of grabbing 3 wickets in 4 overs giving away only 11 runs.
Quarter Final 4 – First Division: Shayan 11 C.C. won by 7 wickets chasing 142 runs in 17.2 overs against Eastern Warriors C.C. Iqrar Ahmed was awarded the man of the match for his excellent performance of 69*(48) hitting 8 boundaries. He was well-supported by Muhammad Fahad who scored 43(34).
Semi-Final 1 – First Division: Adpco Friends C.C. beat Khobar Rangers C.C. by 7 wickets and qualified for the finals. Khobar Rangers C.C. scored 174/6 in the allotted 20 overs which was chased by Adpco Friends C.C. in 17.0 overs. Vasim Izhar played powerful innings of 51(23) hitting 7 boundaries and 3 sixes.
Semi-Final 2 – First Division: Cloud 7 C.C. won by 8 wickets chasing 119 against Shayan 11 C.C. Abdul Sattar Khader Aziz was awarded the man of the match for his magical spell of grabbing 4 wickets in 4 overs for 23 runs.
Semi-Final 1 – Prime Division: Enerco C.C. beat DHL Snas C.C. by 33 runs to qualify for the finals. Batting first, Enerco C.C. scored 221/3 in 20 overs. Man of the match was awarded to Kamran Shah for his powerful innings of 86(38) hitting 11 fours and 2 sixes. He was well-supported by Asad Abbas 54(32) and Shamas Cheema 46(31).
Semi-Final 2 – Prime Division: Intelligent Hawks C.C. defended 159 runs in a nail-biting semi-final beating Space Travels Falcon C.C. by 34 runs. Man of the match was awarded to Nisar Ahmed for his responsible 43(33) supported by Amir Goraya 36(35).
Semi-Final 1 – Premier Division: Pan Gulf C.C. easily defended 175 runs and won by 51 runs against Kanoo C.C. qualifying the final of the premier division. Kashif Riaz was awarded the man of the match for his outstanding performance of 70(41) hitting 11 fours and 1 six. Kashif Abbas took 3 wickets giving 20 runs in 4 overs.
Semi-Final 2 – Premier Division: Pak Saudi C.C. chased 173 runs in 19 overs set by Intelligent Qalandars C.C. Qayyum Meher scored 77(53) hitting 4 fours and 2 sixes but a man of the match was awarded to Nasir Khan for his all-round performance. He took 2 wickets and scored 59(31) hitting 5 fours and 1 six making sure his team qualified for the finals.
The final matches were played on 13 November 2020 and the results are as follows
First Division – Adpco Friends C.C. batted first and scored 140/6 in 20 overs Cloud 7 C.C chased it down in style by scoring 143/2 in 14.2 Overs and won the SCC T20 Youm Al Watni Cup (First Division). Muhammed Shafi scored a match-winning 59(39) and remained unbeaten for the fifth time in the tournament. Vineedh Mohanan’s 3/30 in 4 overs earned him the man of the match trophy.
Prime Division – Enerco C.C. beat Intelligent Hawks C.C. by 50 runs and bagged the SCC T20 Youm Al Watni Cup (Prime Division). Batting first, Enerco posted an impressive total of 192/5 in 20 overs thanks to scintillating unbeaten innings of 75(42) by the man of the match, Shamas Sajjad Cheema. In response, Hawks folded to 142 in 17.5 overs. Akhtar Ali was the pick of the bowlers with 2/17 off his 4 overs.
Premier Division – Pan Gulf C.C. beat Pak Saudi C.C. by 9 Wickets to be crowned the winners of SCC T20 Youm Al Watni (Premier Division). Sajid Khan’s 2/23 off 4 overs helped Pan Gulf restrict Pak Saudi to a small total of 116 (all-out) in 17.2 overs. Pan Gulf cruised home in just 10 overs thanks to its openers Kashif Abbas 52(22) and Kashif Riaz 50*(30) who both scored half-centuries. Kashif Abbas was declared the man of the match.
First Division’s wicketkeeper-batsman Shahil Ahammed (Cloud 7 CC) was the highest run-scorer of the tournament with 370 runs in 7 matches.
Top bowling honors for the tournament were shared by Nasir Mehmood (Pak Saudi CC) of Premier Division and Vineedh Mohanan (Cloud 7 CC) of First Division who bagged 13 wickets each at an average of 14.92 and 16.77 respectively.
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Aditya Birla Group-led consortium acquires RCB for USD 1.78 billion
Bengaluru (PTI): A consortium led by the Aditya Birla Group (ABG) on Tuesday acquired 100 percent equity stake in IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru for a whopping USD 1.78 billion (approximately Rs 16,706 crore) from its current owner the United Spirits Limited.
Other parties involved in the group are -- Blackstone’s perpetual private equity strategy, BXPE, a firm of which Viral Patel is the CEO, Bolt Ventures, owned by American investor David Blitzer, and media conglomerate Times of India.
“United Spirits Limited, pursuant to the meeting of its Board of Directors, today announced that it has entered into definitive agreements for the sale of the 100 percent equity stake held in its wholly owned subsidiary Royal Challengers Sports Private Limited (RCSPL) to a consortium,” the USL said in a statement.
“The consortium comprises Aditya Birla Group (ABG), The Times of India Group (Times), Bolt Ventures (Bolt), and Blackstone’s perpetual private equity strategy, BXPE (Blackstone) for a total consideration of INR 166.6 bn in an all cash transaction,” the statement added.
The transaction includes RCB's men’s and women’s (WPL) teams.
“RCSPL owns and operates Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) franchises that participate in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Women’s Premier League (WPL).
“Upon completion of this transaction, the consortium will, through its ownership of RCSPL, acquire the rights to own and operate the IPL and WPL franchise,” said the USL.
The announcement also concluded the strategic review of RCSPL that was initiated by USL on November 5, 2025.
The United Spirits Limited is a subsidiary of UK-Diageo, and they were keen to move away from RCB as the team was not central to their business plans.
Commenting on the transaction, Praveen Someshwar, MD & CEO, USL, said: “This transaction marks an important milestone for USL as we sharpen focus on our core beverage alcohol business to unlock its true potential. RCB has grown into the most prominent and commercially successful franchise in the IPL and WPL.
“We are excited for the future of RCB under the stewardship of the new owner. As Sports enters a new phase of growth in India & globally, we believe this is in the best interest of the franchise and our stakeholders.”
Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman, Aditya Birla Group, said, “Over the past 2 decades, the IPL has morphed to become a global sporting powerhouse that has changed the face of Indian cricket creating enormous value for India.
“RCB, as one of the most compelling franchises in modern sport, offers the Aditya Birla Group a distinctive platform to extend its legacy of institution-building into the arena of global sport.”
As per the sale agreement, Aryaman Vikram Birla, ABG’s director, will be the chairman of RCB while Satyan Gajwani of Times of India will be his deputy.
Aryaman Birla, said: “It is a privilege to come together in this partnership to shape the next phase of growth for RCB. This partnership brings together a deep understanding of sports, media and consumer businesses.
“Together, we will continue to Play Bold -- on the pitch, in the community, and for the fans who make RCB what it is.”
Gajwani, Chairman, Times Internet Limited, said: “RCB is the reigning champion and the most popular brand in the IPL. We will build RCB into a global sporting institution, while remaining rooted in Bengaluru and Karnataka and its incredible fanbase.”
Blitzer hoped to build on RCB’s recent success.
“RCB has a world-class fanbase, and the IPL is one of the great growth stories in global sport. Having invested in clubs and leagues around the world, I believe the opportunity at RCB stands out.
We look forward to working alongside our partners and the BCCI to build on the franchise’s championship success,” he said.
Patel praised the RCB as one of the strongest sporting brands in the world.
“We are excited to invest in RCB, building on Blackstone’s long-standing commitment to India. RCB stands out as one of the most popular sports franchises in the world with a powerful brand, a loyal fan base, and multiple avenues for growth,” he added.
However, formalities such as ratification from the BCCI, IPL Governing Council, its WPL counterpart and the Competition Commission of India are still pending.
Earlier, IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals was acquired by US-based Kal Somani-led consortium for USD 1.63 billion (approx Rs 15,290 crore),
The Somani-led consortium includes Rob Walton from the Walmart family and Hamp family (Ford motor company).
Somani is an Arizona-based tech entrepreneur who has founded IntraEdge (technology services and solutions), Truyo.Ai (data privacy rights and AI governance) and Academian (edtech services).
The other contenders to buy the team, which won the inaugural trophy in 2008, were the Times Internet-led consortium, the Aditya Birla Group and the Mittal family led by ArcelorMittal CEO Aditya Mittal.
