Panaji: The fourth round of the `Goa Premier Division League 2025-26′, turned out to be a gripping affair. In a tightly-contested match at Porvorim, Margao Cricket Club (MCC) defeated Salgaocar Cricket Club by 14 runs. In another match, Dempo Cricket Club asserted its dominance by beating Geno Sports Club by an innings and 6 runs.
In this three-day fourth-round match at the GCA Academy Ground in Porvorim, Margao Cricket Club won the toss and elected to bat, reaching a total of 293 all out in 65.5 overs. Deepraj Gaonkar (81 runs) and Umang Gosavi (71 runs) shaped the MCC innings. Salgaocar’s Ruthvik Naik bowled effectively, taking 6 wickets for 54 runs. In response, Salgaocar’s first innings folded for 216 runs.
After a 77-run deficit, Salgaocar’s Yash Kasvankar took 7 wickets in the second innings to restrict Margao to 119 runs. However, chasing a target of 197 runs for victory, Salgaocar’s innings ended at 182 runs on the third and final day. Margao’s Anuj Yadav sealed the team’s victory by taking 6 wickets for 58 runs. The innings concluded after Anuj ended the stubborn resistance of the ninth wicket, Amulya Pandrekar (39 runs). Yogesh Kauthankar did not come out to bat in the second innings due to injury.
In the match held at the NAPEX ground in Sankhali, Geno Sports Club could only manage 121 runs in their first innings after batting first[cite: 133, 138, 198, 204]. On the back of batting performances by Rahul Mehta (89 runs) and Sarthak Bhike (54 runs), Dempo built a massive total of 351 runs. Geno, Vikas Singh, and Manish Kakode took 4 wickets each. In the second innings, Geno Sports Club was restricted to 224 runs. Manthan Khutkar played a fighting knock of 84 runs, while Manish Kakode resisted with an unbeaten 64 runs. Dempo’s Mohit Yadav took 4 wickets for 66 runs to wrap up Geno’s innings, securing an innings victory for the team.
After the fourth round, Chowgule Sports Club has reached the first position with 15 points. Geno Sports Club has slipped to second place with 12 points. MCC is in third place with 11 points. They are followed by Salgaocar Cricket Club (9) and Dempo Cricket Club (9). Panjim Gymkhana, currently at the bottom, is out of the race for the final with one round of the tournament remaining. After the fifth and final round of the tournament, the final match will be played between the top two teams.
Brief Scores:
Margao Cricket Club, 1st Innings – 293 all out, Salgaocar Cricket Club, 1st Innings – 216 all out; Margao Cricket Club, 2nd Innings- 119 all out
Salgaocar Cricket Club, 2nd Innings – From 59/3 in 11.3 overs to 182 all out in 45.3 overs (Yash Kasvankar 41, Amulya Pandrekar 39, Shaantanu Nevagi 25, Extras 18, Anuj Yadav 58-6, Rudresh Sharma 88-2) Man of the Match: Anuj Yadav.
Geno Sports Club, 1st Innings – 121 all out, Dempo Cricket Club, 1st Innings – 351 all out; Geno Sports Club, 2nd Innings – From 123/5 in 32 overs to 224 all out in 61 overs (Manthan Khutkar 84, Manish Kakode 64 not out, Nihal Surlakar 23, Extras 11, Mohit Yadav 66-4, Abhinav Tej Rana 58-3, Samit Mishra 36-2, Rahul Mehta 34-1) Man of the Match: Rahul Mehta.
