Amritsar Surma produced an emphatic, all-round display to crush Ludhiana Lions by 8 wickets in the grand finale of the inaugural Sher E Punjab T20 League. Even with regular skipper Abhishek Sharma leaving the camp ahead of the knockout stage to attend national commitments against Afghanistan, Amritsar refused to let their momentum dip, cruising comfortably to the title.
Ludhiana Lions Suffer Batting Collapse Before Bowlers Restrict Total
The decisive encounter began with Amritsar Surma winning the toss and asking Ludhiana Lions to take first strike. Ludhiana endured a terrible start to their innings, crumbling under tight bowling to lose their top 5 wickets with merely 55 runs on the scoreboard. That early collapse severely curtailed their momentum, leaving them scrambling to reach 142 all out in their full quota of 20 overs.
Abhijeet Garg emerged as the top contributor for Ludhiana, crafting a fighting 37 off 32 deliveries. In the middle and lower orders, Harish Kumar added 22 runs, while Madhav Pathania contributed 21 runs to help push the total past the 140-run threshold. Amritsar's bowling unit maintained relentless pressure throughout the innings. Mayank Markande led the charge with a disciplined haul of 3 wickets, while Sahil Khan provided crucial support by capturing 2 wickets.
Sahaj Dhawan Anchors Chase as Surma Cross the Line Losing Just 2 Wickets
Chasing a target of 143 runs for the championship, Amritsar Surma displayed complete command from the outset, overhauling the required total with the loss of just 2 wickets. Opening batter Sahaj Dhawan anchored the pursuit masterfully, compiling a solid 63 runs from 53 balls. He found ideal support in Rahul Kumar, who struck a fluent 42 off 30 deliveries to break the back of the chase.
Power hitter Naman Dhir then provided the final fireworks to seal the victory in style. Dhir dismantled the opposition bowling with an unbeaten cameo of 29 runs off just 12 balls, clobbering 4 sixes in the process to guarantee silverware for his franchise. Among the Ludhiana bowlers, only Jasinder Singh and Kartik managed to claim a solitary wicket each, but neither could stem the flow of runs.
Abhishek Sharma Congratulates Teammates via Video Call After Delhi Heroics
Amritsar's regular leader Abhishek Sharma had to depart the regional squad right before the knockouts to take part in the T20 series against Afghanistan. While his state franchise was battling for glory in the final, Sharma was busy hitting boundaries at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi in Indian colours.
Sharma played a blistering knock of 82 runs from just 32 deliveries against Afghanistan, guiding Team India to a convincing 7-wicket victory. Soon after wrapping up his international match in the capital, Sharma connected with his Amritsar Surma teammates through a video call to celebrate their tournament triumph and laud their championship-winning performance.
