T10 League 2017: Kerala Kings win the inaugural edition in style
The run chase in the final was never going to be easy, but Paul Stirling and Eoin Morgan made an absolute mockery of it
Kerala Kings have managed to register a comprehensive win in the semis and the finals to win the inaugural edition of the T10 League. Eoin Morgan played a match-winning innings in the semifinal, whereas their best batter of the tournament Paul Stirling blasted another half-century to direct them towards the title.
In the first semifinal played between Kerala Kings and Maratha Arabians, the latter batted first. A ridiculously amazing bowling spell from Sohail Tanvir, who registered figures of 3/12, thwarted the Arabians from scoring big. Dwayne Bravo and Imad Wasim tried their best with the bat, but could only manage 97 runs, losing 9 wickets.
It was a relatively easy chase for the Kings, who were only troubled by Zahoor Khan’s spell. They chased the target down in 9.2 overs and stormed into the finals of the first ever T10 League. Eoin Morgan eventually was made the player of the match for his 32-ball 53.
The unbeaten side in the League, Pakhtoons, finally faced some embarrassment and unfortunately for them, it was in the semifinals. Banking on Afridi and Ahmed Shehzad’s exploits, they posted 129 runs on the board. But the Punjabi Legends managed to chase the target with Luke Ronchi’s 34-ball 60 and Shoaib Malik’s 17-ball 48 doing the job for them. They chased the total in just 9.1 overs and broke into the finals with ease.
Morgan and Stirling win it for the Kings
Luke Ronchi registered the highest individual score in T10 League just when his side Punjabi Legends needed him the most. He scored a 34-ball 70 to propel his side to a decent 120 runs on the board and was well supported by Shoaib Malik, who scored 26.
The run chase was never going to be easy, but Paul Stirling and Eoin Morgan made an absolute mockery of it. Despite losing Chadwick Walton off the first ball of the innings, Stirling kept playing the big shots and with Morgan joining the party, the game was brutally taken away from the Legends.
Morgan blasted a 21-ball 63, whereas Stirling remained unbeaten on 52. With one run needing from the final two overs, Dawlat Zadran bowled a wide which confirmed the Kings’ status as the Champions of the T10 League. Eoin Morgan was named the player of the match for the second time in the day for his exploits.
Brief Scores
Kerala Kings v Maratha Arabians, 1st Semifinal
Maratha Arabians: 97/9 in 10 overs (Sohail Tanvir 3/12)
Kerala Kings: 98/5 in 9.2 overs (Eoin Morgan 53, Paul Stirling 17)
Player of the match: Eoin Morgan
Pakhtoons v Punjabi Legends, 2nd Semifinal
Pakhtoons: 129/4 in 10 overs (Ahmed Shehzad 58, Shahid Afridi 41)
Punjabi Legends: 132/1 in 9.1 overs (Luke Ronchi 60*, Shoaib Malik 48*)
Player of the match: Shoaib Malik
Punjabi Legends v Kerala Kings, Final
Punjabi Legends: 120/3 in 10 overs (Luke Ronchi 70)
Kerala Kings: 121/2 in 8 overs (Eoin Morgan 63, Paul Stirling 52*)
Player of the match: Eoin Morgan
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