An outdoor cricket tournament was organised in Antwerp, Belgium, for various BAPS centres across continental Europe on 15-16 July 2023.
The competition brought together almost 200 youths and senior players from Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Poland. This year’s competition coincided with the 20th anniversary of the BAPS mandir in Belgium.
The tournament comprised 14 teams who played five matches at two grounds in their respective group stages. Teams that finished top of their groups – Antwerp Ekta, Paris Supergiants, Warsaw Yoddha and Netherlands Nishtha – progressed to the semi-final stages of the competition.
Antwerp Ekta – favourites and winners of two previous tournaments – came through a close game to beat Netherlands Nishtha and secure their place in the final. They were joined by Paris Supergiants – also a previous tournament winner.
Both teams were unbeaten en route to the final. Hosts Antwerp Ekta won the toss and invited Paris Supergiants to bat, restricting them to just 65 runs. Antwerp Ekta comfortably chased down the target to win their third Yogi Yuva Cup.
The hugely successful event encouraged youths and adults leading busy lifestyles to engage in some healthy activity and helped develop unity amongst others from all around Europe.
Every team contributed to high-quality cricket, providing positive entertainment and competitiveness that was played with a spirit of unity and sportsmanship.
Outstanding team and individual performances for 2023 include:
Winners: Antwerp Ekta (Antwerp)
Runners-Up: Paris Supergiants (Paris)
Bowler of the Tournament: Piyush Gadiya (Antwerp)
Batsman of the Tournament: Kamal Patel (Paris)
