The Best of 2017: T20 League wise Best teams
From the Indian Premier League to the Karnataka Premier League, the list features all the top teams.
5. McDonald’s Super Smash – Wellington Firebirds
Unlike most other teams in the list, the Wellington Firebirds did not have the most dominating run in their T20 league. They started peaking up and gained momentum as the tournament progressed. Such was the nature of the Super Smash – the domestic T20 league of New Zealand – that most of the teams finished with similar standings at the end of the league stages.
The Firebirds won 5 out of the 10 matches they played in the league stages to finish with 20 points – the same number that Auckland Aces and Canterbury finished with. In the nail biting finals, Wellington beat Canterbury by 3 wickets to face Central Districts in the finals.
In the finals, they stared at embarrassment with 108/6 at one stage. But cameos in the end by Matt Taylor (48*) and Jeetan Patel (28*) helped them finish with 172 on the board. Their bowlers responded well to restrict the Central Districts to just 158/8 in the run chase and won the championship by 14 runs.
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