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Wayanad storm into final

In the final on Friday, Wayanad will meet the winners of the second semi-final between Yogi Group Trissur Dynamites VS Dunes Kannur Veerans.

Alleppey had an unbeaten record in the KPL and they had entered the semi-final, topping the eight-team table.

But the unpredictable nature of Twenty20 cricket and a sterling show from Wayanad in the knockout game upset the calculations of CSS team.

Raziq Khan played the match-winning knock for his team with an all-round show.

“Alleppey was a very strong team with an unbeatable record. I knew the spinners would play a crucial role in the match and my strategy was to attack the other bowlers. Besides we restricted them to a attainable total,” Raziq told Khaleej Times. Chasing a victory target of 151, the Trotters reached the target with eight balls remaining as they completed a comprehensive five-wicket victory.

Raziq, who also picked up two wickets for 13 runs from his four overs, guided the team to victory with a brilliantly paced half century.

Wayanad’s move to go for some international stars helped them winning some of their crucial matches, including the semi-final.

Sri Lankan Twenty20 international player Danushka Dilhara Lokuhettige, who played some match-winning knocks for Wayanad in the tournament, gave excellent support to Raziq scoring a polished 24.

Opener Amjad Ali too played a cameo of 18 and added 27 runs for the first wicket with Raziq.

Raziq smashed four sixes and five fours on his way to a half century form 27 balls.

“I knew the Alleppey team had some very good spinners and that is the reason why I launched the offensive quite early in the innings. We realised that it would be tough to get run-a-ball later in the innings,” Raziq said.

Dilhara made his presence felt with a calm knock, while Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammed Nabi chipped in with an useful 16 and local star Mohammed Azam added 17 runs.

Sajjad Saeed played a crucial role remaining unbeaten on 16.

Earlier, CSS, batting first were bowled out in 19.3 overs. Though many batsmen got starts, none of them went on to make a big score, which was reflected in the final total. Fayyaz Ahmed was impressive though, hitting 35 off 25 balls, including five fours and a six.

Sajjad Saeed was the pick of the bowlers, bagging three for 20.

“Our fielding let is down in this match. We dropped four catches in the semi-final and that proved costly. 150 was a good total, but we dropped two catches in the second over itself,” Alleppey captain Hareesh M said.

Wayanad manager Gopal Jaspara said his team had specific plans for the semi-final.

“Alleppey had a very good team and they were unbeaten before the semi-finals. We realized that though they have won all the matches, they haven’t posted very big totals in the tournament. So when we restricted them to 150, we know we had a chance,” he told Khaleej Times.

Brief score: Trotters-Wayanad Highlanders beat CSS-Alleppey Ripples by 5 wickets

CSS Alleppey Ripples 150 for all out in 19.3 overs (Asif Iqbal 20, Haji Irfan Akram 24, Fayyaz Ahmed 35, Shibith B. 22, Sajjad Saeed 3 for 20, Raziq Khan 2 for 13)

Trotters-Wayanad Highlanders 153 for 5 in 18.4 overs (Raziq Khan 50, Amjad Ali 18, Danushka Dilhara Lokuhettige 24, Fayyaz Ahmed 2 for 17)

Man of the Match : Raziq Khan of Trotters-Wayanad Highlanders

Umpires : Tariq Butt and Akbar Ali.