- Sufiyan’s 52 muscles Royals to title win
- Spirit of Kashmir comes alive in Dubai
Rajbagh Royals defeated Razay Kadal Super Heroes in the final of the second edition of Kashmir Super League (KSL) by six wickets to lift the trophy.
Razay Kadal SuperHeroes won the toss and elected to bat, scoring 172 for the loss of 3 wickets in the stipulated 20 overs. The target was chased down by Rajbagh Royals, losing 4 wickets in pursuit. Sufiyan Farooq of Rajbagh Royals scored 52 runs of 28 balls hitting 3 fours and 5 sixes and was named Man of the Match.
From Razay Kadal SuperHeroes, Gulzar was the top scorer and was dismissed for 49 of 25 balls with 1 four and 4 sixes while for Rajbagh Royals, Umer scored 38 of 37 balls.
Mohsin Matoo of Rajbagh Royals bagged Man of the Series award while Sufiyan Farooq was named best batsman of the series.
Earlier, with morning shower clearing the haze in the air, stage was set for blockbuster finale at the Dubai International Stadium.
The stadium was packed with Kashmiris expats in the UAE. The match proceedings began with welcome speech by guest of honor Zareef Ahmad Zareef who was part of a 25-member Kashmiri delegation that arrived here to watch the final match. The delegation comprised of senior journalists, civil society members and businessmen. Besides, around 250 players who played in the league matches also witnessed the match.
To make the game more exciting, mahnidi competitions and game shows for Kashmiri children were held on the sidelines of the match.
To felicitate the players and organizers, special trophies were brought from Kashmir by the delegation, representing Kashmir’s art of woodcarving, papier-mâché and copper work. Besides, other awards like Fair Play Award, Most Entertaining Players Award, Man of the Series award were also given.
The matches were live-streamed on social media with score card ticking in real time on an Android app.
Earlier, Razay Kadal Super Heroes clinched a thrilling win over Soura Qaladers in the first semifinals on March 19 to seal its berth for the title clash of the of Kashmir Super League II against formidable Raj Bagh Royals who outclassed Buher Kadal Badshah both in bowling and batting to win the second semifinal the previous evening.
Kashmir Super League season II has received overwhelming response from Kashmiri diaspora in United Arab Emirates and surrounding countries.
KSL 2017 started with big bang in Ajman Oval, a beautiful stadium situated 30 kilometers away from Dubai in January. The sporting extravaganza was started by three young and dynamic Kashmiris Inayat Fazili, Zubair Shah and Imran Malik with the support of other Kashmiris working there.
The first season of the league was also a big success which raised hopes of thousands of Kashmiris living abroad to connect with each other. The league is now turning out to be medium to promote Kashmiri culture and heritage and also to connect with their native roots.
Earlier matches were also witnessed by hundreds of Kashmiris with their families here in Dubai.
The league also gave the Kashmiris working here the chance to meet their brethren who have successfully set up business houses here and get the chance to know their success stories and work in their enterprises.
