Rawalakot Hawks clinch KPL trophy

ISLAMABAD: Rawalakot Hawks held their nerves in the final over to win the inaugural Kashmir Premier League (KPL) cricket title following a close finish at the Muzaffarabad Stadium Tuesday.

Set to score 170 to lift the title, Muzaffarabad Tigers looked favourites going into the last over. But left-arm spinner Asif Afridi (3-21) spun his magic, picking up two wickets and restricting Tigers to 162-8.

Hussain Talat (3-18), however, was the pick of the bowlers for Hawks. Zeeshan Ashraf (46) and Mohammad Hafeez (29) gave Muzaffarabad Tigers a big push, scoring 54 for the opening wicket in 5.4 overs. However, apart from Mohammad Waseem Junior (22) no other batsman stayed long at the wicket to take Tigers home.

Earlier, Hawks recovered well to reach 169-7 with the second eliminator's man of the match Kashif Ali (52) again coming to the party with a breezy 52 off just 28 balls. He was well supported by Bismillah Khan (30) and Sahibzada Farhan (28). Leg-spinner Usama Mir (2-25) and Mohammad Hafeez (2-26) bowled sensibly to put the brakes on the scoring rate.

AJK Prime Minister Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi declared Kashmir the land of peace and prosperity. Chairman Kashmir Committee Shaharyar Khan Afridi dedicated the success of the KPL to all Kashmiris living on either side of the border.

KPL Chairman Arif Malik declared the league a big success. “We will launch the Kashmir League — meant only for Kashmiri people — in the next three months. A cricket academy will also be launched,” Arif Malik said. “From the next season onward, the KPL will have a seventh team, Jammu Sahanbaz,” he added.