Pune: The CMS Champions Cup 2023 finals took place on Saturday, May 27, 2023, at the Madanlal Dhingra Stadium in Nigdi. The event showcased thrilling matches and deserving winners across various categories.
In the battle for third place, CMS Falcons A and CMS Falcons B faced off, resulting in a dominant victory for the A team with a score of 7-1. Shibu Sunny contributed two goals, while Anup Nair, Abdullah Khan, Vicky Rajput, Manish Thakre, and Aniket More each scored one goal.
In the 40+ category, Akatsuki and Pune Veterans clashed in a tightly contested match that ended in a goalless draw after full time. The match was eventually decided by a tiebreaker. Akatsuki emerged victorious with a 3-0 win, as Shanup Nair, Vivek Rokade, and Prashant Sasane successfully scored their penalties, while Ramnath Vishwanathan, Kunal Chakranarayan, and Michael D’Cruz missed their chances for Pune Veterans.
The final match of the open category featured Strikers FC from Pune and DFA Mumbai. Subodh Lama’s brace for Strikers FC secured them a victory, while Shahid Shaikh managed to reduce the margin for DFA Mumbai.
In the awards ceremony, Strikers FC proudly lifted the 6-foot trophy, along with a cash prize of 51,000. City One Group generously added an additional 21,000 to the prize. DFA Mumbai claimed the runners-up trophy and received a cash prize of 31,000. CMS Falcons A and B were rewarded with 21,000 and 11,000 respectively.
In the 40+ category, Team Akatsuki emerged as the champions, securing the winner’s trophy and a cash prize of 21,000. Pune Veterans pocketed a cash prize of 11,000 as the runners-up.
Individual accolades were bestowed upon deserving players. Subodh Lama of Strikers FC was named the Player of the Tournament, while Balaji Bedane, the goalkeeper for Strikers FC, received the Best Goalkeeper award. Abdullah Khan from CMS Falcons A was honored as the Best Defender, Gaurav Swaminathan as the Best Midfielder, and Shahid Shaikh from DFA Mumbai as the Best Forward. Prashant Sasane was recognized as the best player in the 40+ category.
The event was graced by esteemed guests, including Mahesh dada Landge, MLA of the Bhosari constituency, RJ Sangram Khopade from 95 Big FM, Prashant Shitole, the former standing chairman, Yogesh Behl, the former Mayor of PCMC, Shantaram Bhalekar and Jagdish Shetty, both former corporators, Nikhil Dubois, Vice President of the Football Association Pune, Sohan Singh Sona, Secretary of the Football Association Pune, and Mr. SS Aluwalia, President of the Guru Tegh Bahadur Foundation.
