After nearly two weeks of exciting cricket in Lagos, the Middle-Belt Tigers were named champions of the first-ever Nigeria Super League. They beat Southern Sharks by six runs in a nail-biting final on Sunday at the TBS Oval, according to PUNCH Sports Extra.
This final wrapped up a thrilling first edition of the Nigeria Super League, which featured 20 matches. The tournament showcased top talent, fierce competition, and the growing popularity of cricket in Nigeria.
The Tigers, led by wicketkeeper Sulaimon Runsewe, won the toss and chose to bat first. They scored a solid 104 runs for 5 wickets in their 10 overs.
Southern Sharks fought hard and stayed in the game until the end. Isesele Odion Evangel was the standout, scoring 26 runs off 21 balls. Captain Isaac Okpe added some quick runs with 15 off seven balls.
Kenneth Boniface and Durotoye Gideon also contributed as the Sharks pushed the game to the final over. But the Middle-Belt Tigers kept their cool and limited Southern Sharks to 98 runs for 7 wickets, winning the match by six runs.
Earlier, Northern Lions took third place with a strong 32-run win over Central Eagles in the playoff match.
At the end of the tournament, Solomon Chilemanya from Middle-Belt Tigers topped the batting charts with 172 runs in eight innings. His teammate Ndubudem Elochukwu was recognized as the best bowler, taking 14 wickets in the same number of innings.
Ridwan Kareem of Northern Lions was named the best fielder with six dismissals in eight innings. The Outstanding Young Player award went to Ismail Abdullahi from Southern Sharks.
Even though they lost the final, Isaac Danladi from Southern Sharks was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. He scored 168 runs and took 13 wickets in seven innings.
In addition to cash prizes for individual winners, all six teams in the tournament shared a prize pool of N13.25 million.
Drop your comment
No comments yet — be the first to drop the gist 👇