Thrissur Titans seal maiden KCL crown in thrilling finish, beat Calicut by 4 wickets

Thiruvananthapuram: Thrissur Titans clinched their maiden Kerala Cricket League title in style, chasing down 168 with three balls to spare to beat Calicut Globstars by four wickets in a thrilling final.

Ahmed Imran's 69 set up the chase while captain M S Akhil delivered when it mattered, contributing with both bat and ball to steer Thrissur to their first KCL crown. Imran was named Player of the Match, while Mohammed Azharuddeen of Alleppey Ripples was adjudged Player of the Tournament.

Calicut, sent in to bat after captain Rohan Kunnummal won the toss, made a brisk start. Rohan took the attack to Sarath Chandra Prasad in the second over, picking up 15 runs with a six and two fours. But the momentum soon faded as Anand Joseph struck in the following over, dismissing Varun Nayanar for two. Rohan then fell for 21 off 17 balls while trying to push up the scoring rate, leaving Calicut under pressure.

Akhil Scaria and Ashwin Anand steadied the innings with a 73-run stand for the third wicket off 49 balls. Scaria made 45 before Biju Narayanan broke the partnership, while Ashwin followed in the next over after scoring 40. With the score at 144 for four, Calicut appeared set for a strong finish.

But Thrissur hit back in the closing overs. The bowlers tightened the screws and cut off the boundaries, making it difficult for Calicut to accelerate. The big hitters failed to provide the late surge needed, with Salman Nizar scoring 16, Abdul Basith 14 and Krishna Prasad seven as Calicut finished at 167 for nine.

Abdul Raheem led the bowling attack with three wickets, while Anand Joseph and Sarath Chandra Prasad claimed two each.

Thrissur's chase got off to a shaky start when Vishnu Raj, after opening with two consecutive boundaries, fell for eight in the first over, caught and bowled by Akhin Sathar. K R Rohith made 18 before departing in the fourth over.

Ahmed Imran and Sanjeev Satheesan then took control, mixing caution with aggression and punishing anything loose. Their 87-run stand for the third wicket put Thrissur firmly in the driving seat.

Calicut briefly sensed a way back in the 16th over when Josh Perayil struck twice, dismissing both Imran and Sanjeev. But Imran had already done the damage, hammering 69 off 49 balls with seven fours and two sixes. Sanjeev contributed 29.

Thrissur lost Nikhil Thottath for 14 and Mohammed Inan for eight as the target came within reach, setting up a tense finish. Akhil, however, held his nerve, anchoring the chase with a captain's innings and finishing unbeaten on 19 off 11 balls to take Thrissur across the line.

Ibnul Aftab and Jose Perayil claimed two wickets each for Calicut.

At the awards ceremony, Mohammed Azharuddeen was named Player of the Tournament and Best Batter after a prolific campaign that yielded 596 runs, including three centuries. M Nikhil of Trivandrum Royals was named Best Bowler after taking 18 wickets, while the Promising Youngster award went to Mohammed Inan of Thrissur Titans.

Final score
Calicut Globstars: 167/9 in 20 overs
Thrissur Titans: 169/6 in 19.3 overs