Vinay Kumar was an elated captain as Hubli Tigers defeated Bellary Tuskers by 8 runs to win the Karnataka Premier League (KPL) 2019 in Mysore on Saturday (August 31).
Opting to bat first in the all-important clash, Tigers posted 152/6 on the board. Aditya Somanna (47 off 38 balls) was the top-scorer for Hubli while Luvnith Sisodia (29 off 29 balls) and Praveen Dubey (26 off 15 balls) also made valuable contributions with the bat.
In reply, Tuskers’ top and middle order failed miserably. Except for Devdutt Padikkal (68 off 48 balls), none of the batsmen managed to cross the 30-run mark. Abrar Kazi (13 off 6 balls) made the match interesting with a couple of lusty blows in the last over but he couldn’t finish off the job as KL Shrijith ran him out in the penultimate delivery.
Aditya Somanna (3/24) and Abilash Shetty (3/34) were the stand-out bowlers whereas Mitrakanth Yadav, David Mathias and Shreyas Gopal chipped in with wicket apiece as Hubli bowled out Bellary for 144 in 20 overs to clinch their maiden KPL title.
Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, Hubli Tigers skipper Vinay Kumar said: “I waited for eight years for this trophy. This is my third final. Want to thank all the boys, this wouldn't have been possible without their efforts. We defended 155 only a night ago and though this was a better surface, we knew that we could do it if we get early wickets. T20 is all about momentum, whether it's in a game or through a tournament. Want to thank the groundsmen who did so well to allow the teams to play maximum games despite the rainy season. Also special thanks to the KSCA.”
Tuskers captain CM Gautam admitted that it was a chaseable target and they should have batted better.
“We played a good game of cricket through the tournament but we couldn't finish off well. Still proud of all the boys for their effort. 153 was chaseable on this wicket but we lost wickets early and that set us back. Myself and Padikkal tried to repair but we couldn't. They played well for three days on the trot and deserved to win,” he said.
