Sachin Baby inspires Kollam Sailors to win maiden KCL trophy

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kollam Sailors beat Calicut Globstars by six wickets in the final of the first Kerala Cricket League. Losing the toss and batting first, Globstars scored a humongous 213 runs for the loss of six wickets in the allotted 20 overs.

However, Kollam reached the target with just five balls to spare. Kollam captain Sachin Baby scored an unbeaten 105 off 54 balls with eight fours and seven sixes. The innings proved the catalyst for Kollam’s success.

Vatsal Govind (45) and Abhishek Nair (25) also came with crucial contributions. Sachin came to the crease in the third over and stood firm until the final overs to help his team win the maiden KCL trophy.

Captain Rohan Kunnummal (51), Akhil Skaria (50) and Ajinas (56) scored half-centuries to take Globstars to a score of 213/6. S. Mithun gave Sailors a good start by dismissing opener Omar Abubakar (10) in the fifth over. But Akhil Skaria proved to be the game-changer, changing the scoreboard with his batting fireworks. Rohan took 51 runs off 26 balls with seven fours and two sixes.

Akhil, who scored 56 runs in 30 balls including four fours and three sixes, was dismissed by Pawanraj Bijunarayanan in the 14th over.

• Sachin Baby, who scored 528 runs in 12 matches including two centuries and four half-centuries, won the orange cap for the player who scored the most runs in the first season of the Kerala Cricket League.

• Emerging Player: Iman Ahmed (Thrissur Titans)

• Orange Cap: Sachin Baby (Year)

• Purple Cap: Akhil Skaria (Calicut)

• Player of the Tournament: Sharafuddin (Kollam)

Kollam Sailors won Rs 30 lakh. Globstars, the runners-up, received Rs 20 lakh.

In an interesting scenario, Sachin Baby, a diehard Mohanlal fan, celebrated his century by tilting his shoulder, enacting the superstar’s iconic posture.