Kerala Blasters 107/7 in 20 Overs (Ashwin 32, Nigil 23, Deepak 3/31) lost to TMC 109/7 in 18.3 Overs (Ajay 27, Srivatsa 24, Dheeraj 2/14) by 3 wickets
IISc Champions League 2019 concluded here at the IISc Gymkhana ground as TMC defeated Kerala Blaster by three wickets in the final. TMC, who entered the finals after a thrilling game against Physics et al a week ago, did not allow their opposition Kerala Blasters to get away with any chance as later submitted in a fight that went on for 38.3 overs.
The ICL 2019 began back in August with 21 teams split across five groups. Kerala Blasters were favorites from day one and they made it to the final with some authority. They did not lose a single game on their way to the final. On the other hand, TMC lost a game in the league stage when they failed to chase 98 in 16 overs.
The final game got on the way with the toss at 6:30 in the evening. TMC won the toss and elected to field first. The two Blasters openers, Ashwin and Satyam started steadily and it was Anjinappa who got the first breakthrough to break the opening stand. The departure of Satyam opened the gates for TMC and they made four further inroads. Blasters were struggling at 51 for 5 in the 12th over. The stress was evident in their dressing room.
Contributions of lower-order batsmen like Dheeraj (17), Nazeeh (12) and Nigil (23) ensured a total worth fighting for on the board for the Kerala Blasters. Nigil played some spectacular strokes towards the end of the inning and remained unbeaten for a 10 ball 23. Deepak finished with the figures of 4-0-31-3 but the run-outs were chief enemy for the Blasters. They lost three wickets to run-outs.
TMC didn’t just lose Anil early in the chase; they were in a similar situation as their opposition at the 10 over mark. Their top order was back in the hut by that time and the target was still 63 runs away. This is where Ajay (27) and Mohit (23) joined hands and guided their team out of trouble. The pair stitched down a partnership of 52 off 48 balls. The partnership didn’t just stabilize the inning; it came at a brisk pace which negated any chances of a panic in the later stages. Both the batsmen nudged singles and collected occasional boundaries and within 50 minutes, the atmosphere on the ground changed.
Mohit departed after a magnificent 23. Prashanth finished the game with a six followed by a boundary. Ajay remained unbeaten on the other end as TMC got home by three wickets.
