Eoin Morgan thanks loyal Keralites for the support after T10 victory

The Kerala Kings won the inaugural edition of the T10 Cricket League. Led firmly by their skipper, Eoin Morgan, in the finals of the tournament, they outplayed the Punjabi Legends. After the win, Morgan has credited the team’s success to the loyal Keralites who turned up to support the team in the UAE. In the finals, the Punjabi Legends had posted a mammoth 120/2 in their stipulated 20 overs.

This came after their opener Luke Ronchi had smashed 70 off just 34 balls. In the run chase, Eoin Morgan showed his class to score a brilliant 63 off just 21 balls with six sixes and five fours to seal the game for his side. Morgan, after the big win, cited that the Keralites in the crowds were the loudest among all supporters and that helped the team big time.

“I realised that there is a huge expat population of Keralites in the UAE. So we had great support and I feel they were the loudest of all the fans here and it was great to see them,” quoted Eoin Morgan.

Misbah stands graceful

Meanwhile, the skipper of the Punjabi Legends, Misbah-ul-Haq, was graceful in defeat. He credited the Kerala Kings for having played better cricket on the day. Also, he commended the way his team members fared up in the tournament. Speaking about the format of the game, Misbah feels that the T10 cricket is a good innovation and is quite exciting for the fans. However, it becomes a little tricky for the bowler who gets to bowl four overs.

“Kerala played better cricket and they deserved to win. After we came back into the tournament to reach the final, we thought we could pull it off. Still I am proud of the boys and whatever we have achieved from this tournament is special as this was the first T10 tournament and the first time we played as a group,” quoted Misbah.

“It going to attract more people into the game as it’s very exciting. Right now it’s a bit difficult for the bowler with four powerplay overs. Next tournament onwards they should reduce it to two overs of powerplay but this format is definitely going to be a hit,” he added further.

‘Picked a good side’

The Kerala Kings camp looked happy with the win and the coach, Robin Singh, was no exception. He remarked that the team had a great balance and some exciting bunch of talent. Also, the fact that the fans turned up for them in every game was something that kept the spirits of the team high.

“I think the key was we picked a good side. We had a good bowling attack for the occasion. Most guys played to the potential. Punjabi Legends’ total was a was a par score. There were plenty of Keralites and we were happy to play for a win,” mentioned Robin Singh.

The owners of the team called the win as a gift to the Keralites across the globe. He noted that the win was a big one not only for the people of Kerala but for the south Indians community as a whole. “It is a gift to the Keralites all across the world. Everybody has been calling to congratulate. It is a huge victory for not only Keralites but all south Indians,” conceded Kerala team co-owner Shafi-Ul Mulk.