Today the long awaited finals of Indian Army's Lolab Premier League were held with great fanfare between Shaheen Sports Lalpora and Friends 11 Lolab at Chandigam Sports Ground.
After winning the toss, Shaheen Sports Lalpora decided to bat first but were rattled by loss of early wickets. The middle order put up a fight and put on a score of 70 runs before being bowled out in 17.2 overs.
Chasing a small score, Friends 11 Lolab started aggressively scoring 22 runs in just two overs. The bowlers of Shaheen Sports brought their team back in the game by taking four quick wickets in the next three overs. Friends 11 Captain Zakir Wani and Aamir 'Lefty' stabilized the innings and made sure their team crossed the line in just 8 overs and with 5 wickets to spare. The Runners Up were given a trophy and cash prize of Rs 15,000 whilst the Winners walked away with Rs 25,000.
Zakir Wani was adjudged the Man of the Match and also the Player of the Tournament for his stellar performances throughout the competition.
Fayaz Ahmad Mir, Zonal Physical Education Officer who was the Chief Guest for the Finals, appreciated the Indian Army for its continued support to provide these sporting platforms for the youth of Kashmir. He also lauded the efforts of Imtiyaz Khan, Akhtar Hussain, Shaukat Akbar, Zubair Bhat, Shahnawaz Shah and Imtiyaz Dar for organizing the matches across four venues. Advocate Dawood Bashir also graced the match as a supporter of Shaheen Sports Lalpora.
The tournament saw 64 teams compete amongst each other at four different venues in Lolab Valley. It was the biggest cricket tournament of its kind held in the Lolab which gave a great platform to the youth to showcase their skills and reach the next level of their sport. The locals appreciated the army's endeavours to promote sports and hoped that many such tournaments will be organised in future