Raipur: Chhattisgarh Warriors were crowned champions of the first-ever Legend 90 League after a thrilling last-ball victory over Rajasthan Kings at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium here on Monday. The Warriors successfully chased down a target of 160 In front of their home crowd, securing the trophy in dramatic fashion.
Opting to bowl first, the Warriors put Rajasthan Kings to bat. Openers Asad Pathan (38) and Phil Mustard (34) gave the Kings a strong start, stitching a 76-run partnership.
However, the Warriors tightened their grip on the game in the middle overs, slowing down the run rate. Rajat Singh, continuing his excellent form, provided a much-needed late flourish with an unbeaten 27 off 17 balls, while Manpreet Gony smashed a six off the last ball to push Rajasthan to a competitive total of 159/4 in 90 balls. Pawan Negi led the Warriors’ bowling attack with two wickets, while Siddharth Kaul and Kalim Khan picked up one each.
Chasing 160, Chhattisgarh suffered early blows as Ankit Rajpoot dismissed Martin Guptill and skipper Gurkeerat Singh Mann in quick succession, leaving them reeling at 13/2. However, Rishi Dhawan, the man in form, steadied the innings despite a close call when Manpreet Gony dropped his catch. Dhawan, along with Sheldon Jackson, added 57 crucial runs before Tyagi broke the stand by removing Jackson. Soon after, Rahul Shukla sent Pawan Negi back, swinging the momentum back in Rajasthan’s favour.
Even with wickets falling around him, Dhawan held his ground and reached a well-crafted half-century. Peter Trego and Manan Sharma departed cheaply, leaving the Warriors needing 33 off the final 11 balls. That’s when Abhimanyu Mithun turned the game around, smashing 22 runs in just five balls in the penultimate over bowled by Rahul Shukla.
With just 11 runs needed off the final over, Dhawan quickly added 10 runs off the first three deliveries. However, the game took another twist as Chhattisgarh lost two wickets in quick succession, setting up a tense finish with one run required off the last ball. Siddharth Kaul rose to the occasion, striking the ball to the boundary to seal a dramatic victory.
Rishi Dhawan’s unbeaten 76 off 40 balls proved to be the match-winning effort as Chhattisgarh Warriors lifted the inaugural Legend 90 League trophy in front of a jubilant home crowd.
(IANS)
