Bankers trounce lawyers in charity cricket match held in Mumbai

A team of bankers beat a team of lawyers in this year’s annual Duane Morris and Selvam Capital Markets Cup charity cricket match held on January 31 in Mumbai. The match was played to raise money for Oxfam India..The bankers’ team had representatives from Edelweiss, Goldman Sachs, HSBC, ICICI Securities, JM Financial and Morgan Stanley. The lawyers’ team had representatives from Amarchand Mangaldas, AZB & Partners, Crawford Bayley, Duane Morris & Selvam, Khaitan & Co., J Sagar Associates, Rajani, Singhania & Partners and S&R Associates..Batting first, the bankers’ team plundered 177 runs for the loss of five wickets in 22 overs. Javeed Siddiqui of ICICI Securities and captain Sachin Wagle of Morgan Stanley starred with 55 and 49 runs respectively. For the lawyers’, Rabindra Jhunjhunwala of Khaitan & Co took two wickets for 25 runs. The lawyers’ batting line-up suffered a major collapse and folded for a paltry 81 runs in response. Laban Das of Amarchand Mangaldas provided the only resistance with a knock of 23..The match was the initiative of Jamie Benson of Duane Morris & Selvam LLP, an international joint law venture firm of Duane Morris LLP and Singapore-based Selvam LLC. Commenting on the match, Benson, who captained the lawyers’ team, said,.“Congratulations to the bankers for their win. They thoroughly outplayed us. Although I would have liked to have won the match, the main thing was bringing lawyers and bankers together for a fun time to raise money for a very good cause. I am already looking forward to next year’s match.”.Benson is a U.S. corporate and securities lawyer with more than 17 years’ experience in international capital markets and cross-border M&A transactions. He is the head of the firm’s U.S. securities law practice and head of the firm’s India practice desk..The match raised approximately Rs. 5 lakh for Oxfam India, including Rs. 1,50,000 from Crawford Bayley; Rs. 1,00,000 from Jamie Benson; Rs. 1,00,000 from S&R Associates; and Rs. 27,000 from Khaitan & Co..The bankers’ comprehensive victory saw them level the series at two wins each. Next year’s match should be a more competitive affair with bragging rights on the line.