UP Premier League delivers surprise on the last ball!
The 21-day cricketing extravaganza Uttar Pradesh (UP) T20 League reached its crescendo during the finals held in Lucknow.
The 21-day cricketing extravaganza Uttar Pradesh (UP) T20 League reached its crescendo during the finals held between last year’s runners-up Meerut Mavericks and first-time finalists Kanpur Superstars. The match was held at the BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium on Saturday.
Audience was amazing: Suresh Raina
“Being from this place and witnessing all types of leagues, domestic, national and international matches happening at the Ekana Stadium gives me immense pleasure. It has been a very successful league, and I believe this will give a platform for young talent to go in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and our national team. We are lucky to have a great pool of talent that can be nurtured. I was surprised to see the audience turnout and the support they offered to the Kanpur and Meerut teams,” Suresh Raina, UPPL brand ambassador and former cricketer
Mavericks shine
In the last-over thriller, Meerut Mavericks triumphed over the Kanpur Superstars by five wickets, clinching the trophy. Team Meerut elected to bowl first and had to chase a competitive total of 190 runs.
For the Meerut Mavericks, Yash Garg was the pick of the bowlers, claiming 3 wickets for 47 runs along with Zeeshan Ansari and Vishal Chaudhary helping to contain the Kanpur Superstars to a manageable total. Players Swastik Chikara and Madhav Kaushik steered Meerut Mavericks to victory. Kaushik’s six with two balls remaining was a treat to the eyes. Cricketers Sameer Rizvi and Shaurya Singh were the standout performers with the bat for Kanpur, scoring 57 and 56 runs, respectively.
‘Amazing talent in UP players’
“UP T20, as an initiative, is moving in the right direction, provided the UP Cricket Association can strengthen the pool of the talented players. Cricketers like Sameer Rizvi, Swastik Chikara, Madhav Kaushik, Zeeshan Ansari, Aaqib Khan and many more are performing exceptionally well. Former Team India pacer Munaf Patel on his last visit said that with the kind of talent our state produces, a separate India team can be formed. (Suresh) Raina was of the view that players should be nurtured for white as well as red ball of cricket across formats. I hope Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) inducts some of them in the team,” says Abhijit Sarkar, CEO, Pune Warriors IPL team and vice-president UP Hockey Association
‘Lucknow leg rocked’
“Moving UP T20 PL from Kanpur to Lucknow paid rich dividends. It has been highly successful, and we were able to tick all our checkboxes. With a capacity of 55,000, we had an audience of over 40,000 as per the online ticket sales figures and the entry counting machine. In every match, which was free of cost, we had 5,000-6,000 entries. For the opening match, we had celebs including singer Badshah and actors Ayushmann Khurrana and Kriti Sanon, but for the finals, we planned to focus on cricket and just have a DJ performance followed by a laser show that entertained the audience. Next year, we will take it to an even bigger level,” DS Chauhan, Chairman, Governing Council & Director, UP Cricket Association