Hyderabad Heroes 1-0 up in ICL finals
Hyderabad Heroes caused a major upset when they ended Lahore Badshahs’ unbeaten run and took 1-0 lead in the best-of-three finals of the Indian Cricket League (ICL). The Heroes won a closely contested match by six runs.
Winning the toss and batting first, the Heroes made 143 for 6 in their 20 overs. Buoyed by a brisk start with Abdul Razzak scoring 21 off only 12 deliveries, the Hyderabad team succeeded in forming useful partnerships at the right moments. Jimmy Maher and Ambati Rayudu added 27 before Raydu was joined by Justin Kemp for a solid 53-run stand for the third wicket.
For the Lahore outfit, Mohammad Sami bowled a tight spell conceding just 15 runs in his quota of four overs, while veteran leg spinner Mushtaq Ahmed gave away only 15 in the middle overs. For the Heroes, Rayudu (44) and Maher (33) were the leading scorers.
In reply, Lahore Badshahs fell short of the winning target by seven runs to be all out for 137. Not even the heroics of Azhar Mahmood, who scored 34 off 16 balls, could save the Badshahs from defeat. While wickets kept falling at the other end, opener Taufeeq Umar kept one end intact to score 43. For the Heroes, Razzaq shone with the ball also claiming 3 for 18. Stuart Binny, named Man of the Match, claimed the prized scalps of Hasan Raza and Inzamam-ul-Haq.
Chennai Superstars finish 3rd: Chennai Superstars defeated Kolkata Tigers in the 3rd place play-off match by 32 runs. In reply to the Chennai team’s 186 for 4, the Tigers were bundled out for 154.
For the Superstars, Satish batted magnificently for his 86 off just 42 balls. He was ably supported by Vignesh who scored 40. For the Kolkata team, Abu Nechim was the most successful bowler claiming 3 for 28.
For Kolkata Tigers, only Craig McMillan scored a decent 35 while the Superstars’ Thiru Kumaran and Devendran walked away with the bowling honors taking 3 for 12 and 3 for 35 respectively.
