Gurugram Gladiators are HPL champions

Chandigarh: It was a low scoring yet a thrilling final as Gurugram Gladiators beat Sirsa Warriors by 19 runs to win the inaugural season of the Haryana Premier League (HPL) at the Sector 16 Cricket Stadium here on Sunday .
Sirsa Warriors after winning the toss opted to bowl first and with disciplined bowling they manage to restrict the Gladiators to a modest score of 125. Bhagwinder was team's highest scorer with 30 runs but he didn't get any support from other end. Two quick wickets of Aminderjit Singh and Shubham Chand jolted the innings of Gladiators which left the team reeling at 313. Wickets falling at regular intervals didn't allow Gladiators to settle in properly in the game and a big score was then never on the cards. Sagar Babber, Aminderjit Singh who were in fine form against Rohtak Blasters in the semifinal couldn't click in the final when their team needed them the most. For Warriors, it was Pradeep, Kishni who were the pick of the bowlers as they each scalped 3 wickets.

It looked like a walk in the park for Sirsa Warriors when they arrived on the field to chase down the target but the Gladiators bowlers were determined for the uphill task. Talwinder Singh and wicketkeeper Kapil Kumar started the proceeding for Warriors but Kapil was sent back to the pavilion for a duck and the scorecard read 151. Sarul Kanwar was team's highest scorer with 24 with Talwinder and Prince contributing with 20 and 16 runs respectively.

At 685, it looked like Warriors might cross the finishing line but the Gladiators bowling had something else on their mind. Three quick wickets from 685 to 848 changed the entire look of the game. Harsh Kumar, Sarul Kanwar, Subham Sharma and Naved Hussain were sent back to the pavilion in short span of time. From then, it was all Gladiators who had the upper hand. Sandeep Singh finished the match when he dismissed Rohit Rathi for 1run and giving Gurugram Gladiators the HPL title. For Gladiators, Vikas Uchitra was once again the pick of the bowlers as he scalped 327 with Aman Bharti, Sandeep Singh and Bhagwinder each taking two wickets.