Player of the Match
Player of the Match

Faf du Plessis collects the CPL trophy, before proceeding to join his mates for the celebration. Daren Sammy can hardly hold his joy back, as he leaps and giggles while du Plessis holds the trophy aloft. With this, we wrap up CPL 2024, as yet another T20 league comes to a close. Thanks for your company throughout, as this is Himanshu signing off on behalf of Thilak! Good night!

Faf du Plessis, Kings captain: "This franchise has been looking to get that trophy for a long time. Against this opposition, in front of a big crowd - there's no bigger place to play a final... I would have liked it a bit easier to be honest! I was very happy with the bowling. It was a decent decision [at the toss]. We were very positive to get that score. In our minds, we wanted to play very positively... Just two or three overs made a really big difference. The ball starts to get wet. For Jones and Chase to absorb the pressure was incredible... If you look throughout the competition, there are no superstars here."

Imran Tahir, Warriors captain: "We didn't start well with the bat. We knew dew was going to come... Tough luck today. I also want to congratulate St Lucia Kings. If we batted better, we could have had 170 or 180. That is good score on this pitch, especially with the spinners we have. Just one over took it away. We like to keep Shepherd as late as we can. The other batters had a lot of dot balls. They didn't try and rotate strike. I was happy with Shephy; we needed him for the last four or five overs. Things were going really well; they needed 13 an over... We were putting pressure on them. It could be one more dismissal, and you never know."

Noor Ahmad is the Player of the Tournament: "It's quite a special day for us, and for St Lucia. Everyone tried to give their best. Seeing the conditions, and bowling according to that. We played three games before that, so we had good planning. And that's what gave us success. From the first day we had believe that we will be champions."

Roston Chase is the Player of the Match: "It's a great feeling. I made two finals, and lost... The captain told that was the best match-up [to Hope]. The game was still close, but Guyana bowled a couple of tight overs. Then the rate got to 13, and I told Aaron that we need a big over."

11.46pm After a long wait, it is finally time for the presentations

Ike: "Everyone has to think of Brathwaite's 4 sixes, but the most amazing clutch performance I ever saw (via television) was Narine's wicket maiden super over (or Super Grover, as we like to call it)."

While we wait for the presentations, tell us about some of your favourite T20 heroics from pressure situations - maybe with the bat, ball or in the field. Bring it on!

Shashank: "Feel for Moeen, destiny had a very different story for Axar after a similar over earlier this year!" --- Indeed!

Ravi: "Moeen Ali had a superb tournament but all he will be remembered for now is bowling the over that cost his team the final"

Roston Chase: "Means a lot. I have been in two finals before, and I made up my mind this morning."

Aaron Jones: "We know playing in the final is going to be a challenge... We came out on top. I think of myself as a match-winner."

11.03pm In the 2014 FIFA World Cup final, Germany's coach Joachim Low sent out Mario Goetze with a message, and the substitute scored a trophy-winning goal. Something similar happened today: Kings' coach Daren Sammy sent out a word to the struggling Jones and Chase, who had to score 65 off 30 balls, and, until then, were hardly managing to put the ball away. That is when a switch flicked, and they went on a rampage: boundaries and sixes leaked like never before, and Moeen Ali was taken for 6, 6, 4, 6, 4 in a 27-run over that turned the game on its head. Those 65 runs were hammered off only 20 deliveries, giving Kings their first CPL title. That over broke the deadlock, and Chase hit 39* off 22 balls, while Jones thrashed 48* from 31. Hang around for the presentations.

18.2
1w
Imran Tahir to Aaron Jones, 1 wide, short ball, and quite slow on leg. This heads down, and is called wide as he looks to swipe but misses. So Kings win, and will lift the CPL trophy
18.1
0
Imran Tahir to Aaron Jones, no run, half an appeal for lbw, and given! Jones will review, though! It is not a no-ball, firstly. The ball slides through off a length on middle and leg, as Jones is beaten while looking to clip. There is no inside edge there. The impact is umpire's call, and the ball is deemed to be missing leg

Tahir will bowl

One more to win, and this time I'm willing to put my money on Jones depositing this ball out of the ground.

END OF OVER:
18 | 18 Runs | SLK: 138/4 (1 run required from 12 balls, RR: 7.66, RRR: 0.50)

  • Roston Chase39 (22b)
  • Aaron Jones48 (30b)
  • Romario Shepherd2.5-0-29-1
  • Dwaine Pretorius3-0-25-1
17.6
2
Shepherd to Chase, 2 runs, short in length, and wide of off. Another flash, and two to deep point

Mark: "The win probability percentage for the Warriors dropped from almost 60 to 2.49 in just 2 overs. Amazing stuff!"

17.5
1
Shepherd to Aaron Jones, 1 run, a yorker swinging into off. Dabbed to point as a low full toss
17.5
1w
Shepherd to Aaron Jones, 1 wide, another wide, as this shorter and wide of off. Again he looks to hack, but misses
17.5
1w
Shepherd to Aaron Jones, 1 wide, slower ball, and on a length on a wide line outside off. He looks to slash, but misses, and wide called
17.4
4
Shepherd to Aaron Jones, FOUR, on a length, and again angling into his pads. Clipped late to beat short fine leg off his pads! Warriors supporters, start vacating the stands
17.3
6
Shepherd to Aaron Jones, SIX, hooked over deep square leg! Ian Bishop on TV commentary in the mood of Kolkata 2016! Short delivery just outside off from Shepherd, and Jones hooks off the front foot to clear the boundary
17.2
1
Shepherd to Chase, 1 run, fuller length, but again angling into leg. Clipped to deep midwicket

James: "Who gets MoM here, the 12th man for telling them to put the ball in the stands or the umpire for the ball change? Been one way traffic ever since" --- I'm not guessing anything anymore here...

17.1
2
Shepherd to Chase, 2 runs, on a length, and slanting into his pads. Whipped wide of long-on, and they pinch two

Shepherd back after a long time. He had walked off the field after bowling 1.5 overs.

Who's winning this now? You bet nobody ain't betting on Warriors anymore...

END OF OVER:
17 | 20 Runs | SLK: 120/4 (19 runs required from 18 balls, RR: 7.05, RRR: 6.33)

  • Aaron Jones37 (27b)
  • Roston Chase34 (19b)
  • Dwaine Pretorius3-0-25-1
  • Moeen Ali4-0-41-1
16.6
6
Pretorius to Aaron Jones, SIX, ohhh, just six over long-on! Paul there was in the game until the final second, when the ball just went over him. Short ball wide of off from Pretorius, and Jones got across the swat-pull it for six more
16.5
2
Pretorius to Aaron Jones, 2 runs, fuller side of a length, and wide of off. He skips down, and gets a top edge towards deep third, even as he loses his bottom hand
16.4
4
Pretorius to Aaron Jones, FOUR, swatted over extra cover! He advances down the pitch this time, and slaps this short-of-a-length ball around sixth stump to bag four more, and keep on damaging Warriors' hopes
16.3
0
Pretorius to Aaron Jones, no run, on a length, and wide of off. Jones goes slashing, but is beaten