Nikhil steps up in Sanju's absence as Kochi storm into KCL final

Nithil Thottath stepped up in the absence of Sanju Samson to inspire the Kochi Blue Tigers to the final of the second season of the Kerala Cricket League (KCL-2).

The Blue Tigers will play Sunday's final against defending champions Kollam Sailors. Sachin Baby-led Sailors crushed Thrissur Titans by 10 wickets in the first semifinal earlier in the afternoon.

In the second semifinal at the Greenfield Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, the Blue Tigers defeated Calicut Globstars by 15 runs after posting 186/8. 

Akhil Scaria's unbeaten 72 of 37 went in vain as the Globstars, in their bid to reach the second final in a row, could only make 171/7.

Earlier, Thottath scored an unbeaten 64 from 36 balls, hitting seven sixes, while the Blue Tigers' regular run-getters failed. Opener Vinoop Manoharan fell for 16 off 17, while Mohammed Shanu (1) and captain Saly Samson (0) were dismissed cheaply. Muhammad Ashik's 10-ball 31 down the order helped the Blue Tigers closer to 200.

Sanju was the only Blue Tigers player among the top-10 run-getters. But the star batter left the squad before the final league match to join the Indian team for the Asia Cup starting next week in the UAE.

Brief scores: Kochi Blue Tigers 186/8 in 20 overs (Nikhil Thottath 64 not out, Vipul Shakti 37, Muhammad Ashik 31, Manu Krishnan 2/18, Harikrishnan MU 2/31, Ibnul Afthab 2/36) bt Calicut Globstars 171/7 in 20 overs (Akhil Scaria 72 not out, Krishna Devan 26, Muhammad Ashik 3/26).