Majhi Mumbai ultimately won the title after defeating Srinagar Ke Veer by three wickets in a nail-biting summit game as the Indian Street Premier League (ISPL)’s second season came to a close on Saturday at the packed Dadoji Kondadev Stadium. The tournament lived up to its hype as a spectacular display of cricketing talent, with Majhi Mumbai emerging as the winner.
When the match came down to the last second, Mumbai, the runners-up of the first ISPL season, finally won thanks to Ankur’s enormous six, but the capacity crowd was treated to an exciting game with fortunes swinging both ways. Every six hit, every wicket claimed, and every dive made on the pitch reflected the passion of everyone who played tennis as a child. The 20-day competition was the ideal symphony of action-packed thrillers and enthralling musical performances, combining the unbridled enthusiasm of youthful guns with the skilful experience of seasoned campaigners.
Supported by Bharat Ratna, the God of Cricket According to ISPL core committee member Sachin Tendulkar, the competition has expanded steadily, giving aspirants who previously played in the streets, gullies, and maidans a chance to shine and demonstrating that potential is unbounded. Tendulkar attended the final with Bollywood stars Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar, who own the ISPL and are the owners of Season 2 finalists Majhi Mumbai and Srinagar Ke Veer. Other ISPL core committee members who attended included Ashish Shelar, Suraj Samat, and Minal Amol Kale.
Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar also participated in a light-hearted Tip-Toe to select the dugout after Mumbai won the toss and decided to field, with Tendulkar acting as the umpire. While Akshay was spotted inspiring his colleagues in the Srinagar dugout, Sr. Bachchan also participated in the Mumbai team’s huddle.
Sagar Ali and Akash Tarekar, the opening batsmen, put up a powerful display for Srinagar. They shared the best first-wicket partnership of 108 runs before losing five wickets in 12 runs to reach 120/5, the highest total in the ISPL final.
With three boundaries and five enormous sixes, Akash, who has been inconsistent throughout the tournament, reserved his best for the crucial final, smashing an undefeated 59 off 32 deliveries. Before Akash made his presence known, Sagar launched the assault with a six in the first over. He then outscored his partner.
The remainder of the hitters failed to make the glory shots, and Sagar was eventually removed in the last over of their innings after scoring 40 off 23 balls, including four huge sixes. Abhishek Kumar Dalhor, who was already at the top of the season’s wicket-takers chart, added two more for Mumbai, bringing his total to 24.
After Majhi Mumbai lost a lot of wickets, captain Vijay Pawle led the team’s comeback with a sensible innings. The two of them found Birendra to be a useful ally, milking Dilip Binjwa for 39 runs off the 50-50 Challenge Over to turn the tide.
Mumbai had a great start, scoring 25 runs off the power-play before faltering at 64 for 6. However, the game took a different turn when Pawle arrived, as the captain hit an undefeated 9-ball 22, supported by three sixes, and Birendra hit a 6-ball 14, which included two enormous sixes. Ankur missed the first two balls before hitting the third over the heavens to win the cup for Mumbai, who needed six off the last over.
This ISPL season was about turning dreams into reality and demonstrating that the next cricketing hero may come from anywhere, not only about bringing cricket from the streets to the stadium. In addition to giving the tennis ball cricket players attention, the event gave them financial stability. Abhishek Kumar Dalhor, the standout all-rounder for Majhi Mumbai, became the most expensive player of the season after signing a contract worth an incredible Rs 20.50 lakh.
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