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KUWAIT: The DP World ILT20 Development Tournament \u2014 Kuwait drew to a close at the weekend, with Kuwait Falcons crowned champions of its second edition.<\/p>\n
The Falcons defeated Pearl Strikers by 57 runs in the final, while Boubyan Warriors secured third with a seven-wicket victory over Falaika Guardians. <\/p>\n
Kuwait Falcons\u2019 Ummer Abbas was named Player of the Tournament after an impressive all-round campaign, scoring 239 runs and taking five wickets. Boubyan Warriors\u2019 Bilal Tahir finished as the tournament\u2019s leading run-scorer with 272 runs, while the Falcons\u2019 Yasin Patel was the leading wicket-taker, on 11 wickets. <\/p>\n
Emmad Al Jassam, Kuwait Cricket\u2019s general secretary, said: \u201cCongratulations to the winners on a well-deserved victory, we are pleased to see the growing quality of cricket in Kuwait. With the DP World ILT20 Season 5 Player Auction coming up, this tournament has provided a great opportunity for players to showcase their talent and gain exposure. We hope to see more players use this platform to take the next step in their careers.\u201d <\/p>\n
On the tournament\u2019s wider impact, Sajid Ashraf, its executive director and strategic partner, said: \u201cCongratulations to the champions on a fantastic tournament. It has been encouraging to see the passion for cricket in Kuwait and the strong competition throughout the tournament. Events like this are important in strengthening the cricketing ecosystem and creating more opportunities for the sport to grow across the region.\u201d <\/p>\n
Batting first in the final, the Kuwait Falcons posted 163\/10. Sankar Varathappan (41 off 33) made a strong statement with an aggressive knock comprising two fours and three sixes. Varathappan eventually joined Nimesh Lateif (34 off 28) for a 46-run stand in 42 balls \u2014 the highest of the innings. Umeir Abbas (35 off 23) also launched four sixes in a vital knock that helped the Falcons finish with a competitive total. <\/p>\n
Naveen Raj (2\/30), Vishwa Nettem (2\/32), and Manjula Prasan (2\/36) were the pick of the Strikers bowling attack. <\/p>\n
In the second innings, the Strikers were skittled for 106 in 17.3 overs, courtesy of top performances by Zarwali Khan (3\/22), Arunraj Selvaraj (3\/23) and Yasin Patel (2\/15). Coming in at number three, Danish Javed (36 off 23) waged a lone battle for the Strikers while the wickets tumbled around him. He smashed three sixes before his wicket in the 13th over effectively sealed the result.<\/p>\n
In the battle for third place, Falaika Guardians put up 173\/9, buoyed by Meet Bhavsar\u2019s (58 off 43) 50. The opener\u2019s measured innings comprised five boundaries and as little as eight dot balls. Adnan Idrees (18 off 10) and Shiraz Khan (19 off 16) looked threatening but fell soon after. In the lower order, Govind Sunil Kumar (28 off 16) took charge of the death overs.<\/p>\n
The Boubyan Warriors lost both openers early but Usman Gani (36 off 21) and Bilal Tahir (62* off 41) seized control of the chase. Gani smashed seven fours before he was removed in the seventh over while Tahir remained unbeaten with five fours and four sixes to steer the Warriors through the middle overs. Nithin Saldanha (20* off 10) joined Tahir with a cameo to swiftly overcome the target in 18 overs. <\/p>\n
Shahid Shameem was the standout performer with the ball for the Warriors, returning figures of 3 for 16. <\/p>\n
For the Guardians, Ilyas Ahmed shone with figures of 2\/36.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n