CPS 107/10 in 20 overs ( Kunal 39, Sanjay 22, Ikram 4/23) lost to Gladiators 111/4 in 15.5 overs (Naeem 27, Suhel 24, Hiten 1/29) by 6 wickets
The MCA T20 C league concluded with a final pretty much like it’s elder sibling did, a low scoring game where the chasing team gunned down the target without much stress. The C league final began a few hours prior to the B league final at the Lotus Sports Club, Lusaka. The league was played parallel to the B league.
Just like the B league, the finalists in the C league were ranked first and second on points towable as well. CPS finished the tournament on top while the Gladiators were ranked second (And in the end it was the second ranked teams in both the leagues that took the trophy home).
On the fine afternoon on the finals day, the Gladiators won the toss and elected to field first (Sounds familiar right?). Ismail gave them a double blow in the fourth over when he nipped out Nitin and Vrajesh on two consecutive deliveries. The two Patels (Why don’t they call it Patel Premier League BTW?), Kunal (39) and Sanjay (22) stitched down 57 runs at almost run a ball but as the pair found their grove and started playing some decent strokes, Khadiwala got rid of Sanjay. CPS could not recover from the blow and soon Kunal departed too. A massive collapse followed and they were bundled out for 107 (From being 76/2 in 13th over).
With a batsman like Saleh In their XI, Gladiators were always going to gun down the target. The question was when? The spectators got the answer much sooner than they expected. Despite losing Saleh early, the Gladiators never allowed the opposition to take the control at any point in time. Despite not having a single batsman in the thirties, they knocked the target down with 25 balls still in the bank. Their middle order contributed via small starts. They failed to convert them into a big one but whatever they did, was good enough for the Gladiators to go back with the glittering trophy.
