The final match of the UP T20 League Season-3 was played on Saturday (6 September) at the Ikana Stadium in Lucknow. Kashi Rudras put up a brilliant performance and defeated Meerut Mavericks by 8 wickets to lift the title. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath attended the closing ceremony and encouraged the players.
CM Yogi Attends Closing Ceremony
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath arrived at the stadium on invitation and met the captains and players of both teams. He also posed with the trophy. The toss was conducted with the help of a robot named Chulbul, and the CM inaugurated the final match by ringing the ceremonial bell.
During the event, Yogi Adityanath requested the BCCI to give Uttar Pradesh at least four teams in domestic cricket, keeping in mind the stateâs population of 25 crore. He said this would provide more opportunities to young and talented cricketers from the state.
Meerutâs Weak Start, Kashiâs Strong Reply
Winning the toss, Meerut Mavericks chose to bat first. However, their start was poor as Swastik Chikara got out for a duck with the score at just two runs. Wickets kept falling at regular intervals, and the team struggled to build momentum.
Prashant Chaudhary tried to steady the innings with 37 runs off 29 balls. Ritik Vats added 18 runs from 12 balls, while Akshay Yadav contributed 17 runs off 15 deliveries. By the end of 20 overs, Meerut managed to post 144 runs for the loss of 9 wickets.
Chasing the target, Kashi Rudras came out with an aggressive approach. Captain Karan Sharma led from the front, smashing 65 runs off just 31 balls with a flurry of boundaries and sixes. His explosive innings laid a strong foundation for the chase. Abhishek Goswami then finished the job with an unbeaten 61 runs from 45 balls. He struck the winning boundary on the last ball, ensuring Kashi Rudras sealed the victory with 8 wickets in hand.
Kashi Rudras not only won the championship but also impressed the crowd with their dominant batting display. On the other hand, Meerut Mavericks, despite performing well throughout the tournament, failed to handle the pressure in the final. With this successful edition, the UP T20 League once again provided a valuable platform for budding cricketing talent.
