PANAJI
The fourth round of the `Goa Premier Division League 2025-26`Organized by the Goa Cricket Association, 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 defeating Geno Sports Club by an innings and 6 runs
Thrills Until the Final Moment
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.
One-Sided Victory for Dempo
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.
