[Watch] Guyana Warriors clinch maiden CPL title with a six, followed by wild celebrations
The Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) have broken their trophy drought, finally winning the CPL title. The beat Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) in the final in Guyana on Sunday, September 24.
Pakistan sensation Saim Ayub smashed a magnificent straight six to seal the dominant victory, before the players sprinted onto the field along with skipper Imran Tahir to celebrate.
Following another outstanding round-robin stage, where they finished atop the points table with eight wins and a loss, the Warriors had all eyes on them as they mounted a fresh challenge for the title. They ended up being 11th time lucky as they dominated the competition, including the playoffs, to emerge triumphant.
Here is a video of the winning runs and the celebrations that followed:
There was little doubt about the outcome of the final, as Guayna was on point from start to finish. Winning the toss and fielding first, the Warriors put on a clinical bowling display to dismiss the power-paced TKR batting for a paltry 94 in 18.1 overs.
The hosts then chased the target without fuss in 14 overs, with nine wickets to spare.
Dwaine Pretorius was the Player of the Match for returning with sensational figures of 4/26 off his four overs. The consistent Saim Ayub added the icing on the cake with his fourth half-century of the tournament.
"Everyone was sending jokes that I became captain" - Imran Tahir
An emotional Guyana Warriors skipper Imran Tahir sarcastically thanked his doubters for giving him motivation after his side scripted their maiden CPL title in the 11th edition.
The 44-year-old, who has been part of the franchise since 2018, including two of their previous five finals defeats, was appointed skipper at the start of the 2023 season. The South African spinner led the Warriors manfully, with the side losing just a lone game en route to the title.
Tahir said at the post-match presentation:
"Beautiful (feeling). Great experience to play for this beautifulfranchise and people who alwayssupport us. Everyone were sending jokes that I became captain. That actually motivated me, I wanna say thanks to those people. Thanks to our analyst Prasanna. He worked almost 20 hours a day to give us plans. Also want to thank R Ashwin from India. He said our team will win. Thank you to our owners for checking on everything we need."
Tahir finished the season as the second-highest wicket-taker behind teammate Dwaine Pretorius, with 18 scalps in 13 games at a sensational average of 15.44 and an economy rate of 6.22.
The Warriors also boasted the top two leading run-scorers in Shai Hope and Saim Ayub, with the former also winning the Player of the Series award.
Despite being the only side to qualify for the playoffs in all the previous 10 seasons, the Warriors kept suffering heartbreak at the final stage. Given their excruciating wait, it will be no surprise if the celebrations continue long into the night.