Double delight for Stray Lions concludes a successful campaign

Skipper Tanzeel Sheikh has sung the praises of indefatigable Indian pro Bhagath Varma, whose match-winning last ball six earned Stray Lions A the coveted Nairobi Provincial Cricket Association (NPCA) Super Division Twenty20 title.

Stray Lions ‘A’ decimated last year’s champions Swamibapa ‘A’ by 5 wickets in a dramatic finish to a pulsating T20 final that treated fans to some exhilarating displays of cricket artistry at Sikh Union grounds.

It was a double celebration for the Lions after their B side defeated Kanbis B by 7 wickets to rack up this year’s Division One title at Nairobi Gymkhana.

“It’s an incredible feeling to win this dramatic final. And winning it off the last ball is even merrier. Congratulations to the boys and Swamibapa as well for a well-fought final. During the innings Bhagath played throughout, he was hitting the ball well, so we all believed that even if it was six off one ball, he would win it for us, and he did. He (Bhagath) played an incredible game,” Stray Lions skipper Tanzeel said.

Swamibapa A won the toss and elected to bat first. They savored a good start in the first inning, setting a decent target of 165 for 9 in their allotted 20.0 overs. Chasing the target, the Lions hit 166 for five in 20.0 overs to carry the day.

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Bhagath was named man of the match with 84 off 44 deliveries, while Swami’s Dhwanil Patel smacked 77 off 49 balls. Bhagath hit 8 boundaries and 5 sixes.

The tournament’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) was Cutchi Leva’s Manish Kerai while Swamibapa A skipper Rushabh Patel emerged as the best batsman after he topped the leaderboard with 416 runs.

“I think 160-plus on this wicket was a really chasable target. The wicket was good, but they also batted well. And again, Bhagath pulled us through. By and large, we have played incredible cricket in the T20 season, and teamwork paid off," Tanzeel added.

Asked about his match-winning six, Bhagath commented: “I didn’t know that I would hit it, but I just went for it. We were just one ball away, and I knew that with one good hit, we would be home and dry. We were also confident that anything between 170 and 180, we would give it a good chase.”

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Going into the last ball, the Swamis thought it was a done deal, but not until Bhagath’s six sent the victors into a frenzy.

Swamis’ veteran batsman Maurice Ouma was left to rue the last ball that denied the 2023 T20 champions back-to-back titles.

Ouma, a former Kenya team skipper, said: “Basically, Bhagath took the game away from us, single-handedly. We had our plans when we were going to defend the 165, and we stuck to our game plan until the 12th over. But again, we lost it at the 13th and 14th when we gave them too many runs. I think that’s what brought them (Stray Lions) back to the game.”

NPCA Hon. Secretary Narendra Patel (NK) congratulated all the teams, saying: “We’ve had eight good weeks of competitive cricket, with Cutchi Leva A topping the group stages for the first time, which goes to show the improvement of teams across the board.

The 50 Overs League champions (Ruaraka) could not even qualify for the knockout stage. I must also admit that we have seen quite a few youngsters who have performed really well; that's a good sign.”

NPCA Chairman Kantilal Rabadia, on his part, remarked: “When it comes to T20, it's usually more exciting than the 50-over League. And come to think about it, the high-flying professionals, the teams, the level of competition, and the fighting spirit is absolutely brilliant.”