For the final showdown of the Karachi Tape Ball Premier League (KTPL), the stage was set at the Moin Khan Academy after an exhilarating Day 15, where Malir Malangs and Clifton Popular claimed hard-fought victories in the semi-finals to secure their spots.
In the first semi-final, Malir Malangs edged out North Nawabs by 26 runs. Batting first, Malir Malangs posted scores of 129/1 and 101/3 across two innings. Umar Bajwa with 51 runs, and Abdul Rehman with 22,starred in the first innings, while Muhammad Jahangir Awan with 53, and Mimran Khan with 48 scored dominated the second.
North Nawabs put up a spirited chase with scores of 108/2 and 96/6. Yahya Khan with 21 and Sarmad Hameed with 19 scored contributed in the first innings, while Sarmad impressed again with 59 runs in the second, supported by Haris Ali’s with 25.
From Malir Malangs, Majid Ali shone with the ball, taking three wickets in the first innings and two more in the second. Safiullah Khan and Hazrat Umar chipped in with a wicket each, while M. Ashraf Malinga, M. Jawad Siddiqui, and Sehram Kaka claimed one wicket each for North Nawabs.
The second semi-final was a nail-biter, with Clifton Popular clinching victory by 3 runs over Gulshan Gabroos. Clifton scored 96/2 and 91/5 in their innings. Hassan Qadeer with 40 runs, Asad Shah with 28 and Tahir Nazir with 19 impressed in the first innings, while Fahad Mian Channu’s superb 60 scored in the second.
Gulshan Gabroos fought valiantly with scores of 81/3 and 103/5. Bahadur Ali with 33, and Ahsan Chitta with 18 runs, stood out in the first innings, while Habib Akbar with 32, and Dawood Pathan with 23 scored, delivered in the second.
For Clifton Popular, Ali Imran was crucial with the ball, taking two wickets in the first innings and another in the second. Asif Pathan added a wicket in each innings. For Gulshan Gabroos, Zabiullah’s three wickets and Abdul Salam’s consistent efforts with one wicket each kept the game close.
With their victories, Malir Malangs and Clifton Popular set the stage for an electrifying KTPL final.
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