Kuwait, September 27: Kuwait Falcons beat Pearl Strikers by 57 runs in Friday’s final to win the second edition of the DP World ILT20 Development Tournament – Kuwait.
Boubyan Warriors finished third after a seven-wicket win over Falaika Guardians, with Bilal Tahir making an unbeaten half-century.
Falcons all-rounder Ummer Abbas was named Player of the Tournament for 239 runs and five wickets. Tahir was the leading run-scorer with 272, and the Falcons’ Yasin Patel took the most wickets, 11.
Falcons post 163, then bowl out Strikers for 106
Batting first, the Falcons were all out for 163. Sankar Varathappan made 41 off 33 balls with two fours and three sixes and shared a 46-run stand in 42 balls with Nimesh Lateif (34 off 28), the best partnership of the innings. Umeir Abbas hit four sixes in a quick 35 off 23.
Naveen Raj (2/30), Vishwa Nettem (2/32) and Manjula Prasan (2/36) took two wickets each for the Strikers.
The chase never got going. Zarwali Khan (3/22), Arunraj Selvaraj (3/23) and Patel (2/15) bowled the Strikers out for 106 in 17.3 overs. Number three Danish Javed hit three sixes in 36 off 23, but his dismissal in the 13th over settled the final.
Bilal Tahir guides Warriors to third place
Falaika Guardians made 173/9. Opener Meet Bhavsar scored 58 off 43 with five fours and only eight dot balls, and Govind Sunil Kumar added 28 off 16 at the death. Shahid Shameem took 3 for 16 for the Warriors.
The Warriors lost both openers early. Usman Gani (36 off 21, seven fours) and Tahir then took charge, and Tahir finished on 62 not out off 41 with five fours and four sixes. Nithin Saldanha’s 20 not out off 10 helped them home in 18 overs. Ilyas Ahmed took 2/36 for the Guardians.
Eyes on the ILT20 Season 5 auction
Kuwait Cricket general secretary Emmad Al Jassam linked the tournament to the upcoming DP World ILT20 Season 5 Player Auction. “Congratulations to the winners on a well-deserved victory, we are pleased to see the growing quality of cricket in Kuwait. With the DP World ILT20 Season 5 Player Auction coming up, this tournament has provided a great opportunity for players to showcase their talent and gain exposure. We hope to see more players use this platform to take the next step in their careers,” he said.
Sajid Ashraf, executive director and strategic partner of DP World ILT20, said: “Congratulations to the champions on a fantastic tournament. It has been encouraging to see the passion for cricket in Kuwait and the strong competition throughout the tournament. Events like this are important in strengthening the cricketing ecosystem and creating more opportunities for the sport to grow across the region.”
Brief scores
Final: Kuwait Falcons 163 all out in 20 overs (Sankar Varathappan 41, Umeir Abbas 35, Nimesh Lateif 34; Vishwa Nettem 2 for 32, Naveen Raj 2 for 30, Manjula Prasan 2 for 36) beat Pearl Strikers 106 all out in 17.3 overs (Danish Javed 36; Zarwali Khan 3 for 22, Arunraj Selvaraj 3 for 23, Yasin Patel 2 for 15) by 57 runs.
Third place: Falaika Guardians 173/9 in 20 overs (Meet Bhavsar 58, Govind Sunil Kumar 28; Shahid Shameem 3 for 16, Sandaruwan Chintaka 2 for 8, Mohamed Aslam 2 for 26) lost to Boubyan Warriors 174/5 in 18 overs (Bilal Tahir 62 not out, Usman Gani 36, Nithin Saldanha 20 not out; Ilyas Ahmed 2 for 36) by seven wickets.
