Chicago Patriots bounce back with win in second game of United States Premier League (USPL)

Florida [US], November 16 : Chicago Patriots bounced back with a win in the second game of their debut season of the United States Premier League (USPL). Chicago Patriots who have made their inception in the ongoing second season of USPL, had suffered a loss in their first game against Phillies United.
The second season of USPL, sanctioned by ICC and USA Cricket, got underway on November 13, 2023 and is being hosted at the Broward County Stadium, Florida in order to promote cricket at the grassroots level in US. USPL also aims to establish cricket as one of the mainstream sports in the sporting ecosystem of the country.
In the match against California Golden Eagles, the Patriots were put in to bat first. They lost four early wickets with the score reading 45 in the ninth over, in which vice-captain Nitish Kumar, scored 31. Jahmar Hamilton and Joshua Tromp played a brilliant 94-run partnership for the fifth wicket which helped the Patriots reach a competitive score of 164/9 in 20 overs. Hamilton scored 58 runs while Joshua supported him scoring 39. Marion Lobban (4 wickets) and Raymon Reifer (3 wickets) were the pick of the bowlers for the Golden Eagles.
In reply, the Golden Eagles lost early wickets with Ali Sheikh and Akhilesh Bodugum striking in the powerplay. Ali Sheikh accounted for former U-19 Indian Team Captain, Unmukt Chand and the Golden Eagles could not create any momentum in the chase as they lost half of their side in the 11th over for 56. The match was stopped in the 12th over due to rain and play could not be resumed which resulted in the Patriots winning the match by 34 runs through the DLS method.
The league is following the round-robin format, where each team will play against every other team at least once. Apart from the Chicago Patriots, Phillies United, Maryland Mavericks, Carolina Eagles, New York Cowboys, NJ Titans, and California Golden Eagles, are the other franchisees that will be in action in the second season of USPL.
All 24 matches including the semi-finals and final will be played at Florida's Broward County Stadium. The semi-finals of the USPL 2 will be played on November 20, 2023, while the final is scheduled for November 21, 2023.
Led by former Sri Lankan international cricketer, Angelo Perera, the Chicago Patriots have a mix of young and experienced talent in their squad which includes the likes of another Lankan international, Shehan Jayasuriya, emerging cricketers from USA, Ali Sheikh and Akhilesh Bodugum who surely will be looking to make the most from their home grounds. Chennai-born Adithya Ganesh has also been a part of the first-ever Patriots squad whereas former Canada National Team Captain, Nitish R Kumar who is the vice-captain of the Chicago Patriots will also be seen in the blue jersey alongside his Canadian teammate, Rayyankhan Pathan.
Saurabh Bandekar is the head coach of the Chicago Patriots who has represented the U19 Indian Cricket Team at the ICC U19 World Cup and has also played alongside legendary cricketers like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Saurabh is currently the talent scout of IPL franchisee, Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Speaking on the team's inception in USPL, Angelo Perera, captain of the Chicago Patriots, commented, "We are thrilled to be a part of this amazing cricket league, USPL, which primarily aims to spread the sport of cricket in the USA. Our team, the Chicago Patriots, have already made its debut in the second season of the league, and we, together as a team, have been training hard to bring joy to fans across the world. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our owner, World of Krida, my support staff, and my team members for putting their faith in me."
Complete Squad (Chicago Patriots)
Angelo Perera (Captain), Nitish Kumar (Vice Captain), Shehan Jayasuriya, Jahmar Hamilton, Mark Deyal, Adithya Ganeshan, Shadley Van Shalkwyk, Joshua Trump, Rushil Ugarkar, Rayyankhan Pathan, Akhilesh Bodugum, Ali Sheikh, Carmi Le Roux, Gayan Fernando and Matthew Tromp
Complete Schedule (Chicago Patriots)
Match 1 (13/11/23) - Chicago Patriots vs Phillies United (07:30 PM IST)
Match 2 (14/11/23) - Chicago Patriots vs California Golden Eagles (07:30 PM IST)
Match 3 (15/11/23) - Chicago Patriots vs Maryland Mavericks (11:30 PM IST)
Match 4 (16/11/23) - Chicago Patriots vs Carolina Eagles (03:30 AM IST)
Match 5 (18/11/23) - Chicago Patriots vs New York Cowboys (07:30 PM IST)
Match 6 (19/11/23) - Chicago Patriots vs NJ Titans (11:30 PM IST)
Semi-Finals (20/11/23) - TBD (11:30 PM IST)
Final (21/11/23) - TBD (11:30 PM IST).