Chennai Singams Crowned ISPL Season 3 Champions with Commanding Performance
The Chennai Singams etched their name in Indian Street Premier League history on Friday, capturing their maiden ISPL championship with a comprehensive 29-run victory over the Tiigers of Kolkata. The decisive final unfolded before a capacity crowd at Surat's iconic Lalbhai Contractor Stadium, witnessed by ISPL Core Committee luminaries including cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, Ashish Shelar, Minal Amol Kale, Suraj Samat, and Dipak Chauhan, President of Operations.
Chennai's Batting Blitz Sets Up Title Triumph
Winning the toss and electing to bat first, the Singams established immediate dominance through a blistering opening partnership. Ketan Mhatre unleashed a ferocious assault, plundering 28 runs in a single devastating over early in the innings. Although Jagannath Sarkar departed for 14, Mhatre maintained the aggressive tempo, top-scoring with a rapid 30 runs from just 16 deliveries.
Kolkata's Saroj Pramanik provided a brief moment of resistance, claiming two wickets in the first two balls of the 50–50 over. However, Sarfaraz Khan's crucial six stabilized the innings, while late fireworks from Ganesh and Sambhaji—who struck a massive niner—propelled Chennai to a formidable total of 103/7 in their allotted 10 overs.
Kolkata's Chase Stumbles Against Clinical Bowling
Chasing a target of 104 runs, the Tiigers of Kolkata never established momentum against Chennai's disciplined bowling attack. Openers Rajat Mundhe and Saroj Pramanik struggled from the outset, with Jagannath Sarkar providing the breakthrough by dismissing Pramanik for 11 runs.
Despite a brief 18-run partnership between Krushna Gawali and Rajat in the 50–50 over, Ankur Singh's crucial dismissal of Rajat derailed Kolkata's chase. Arish Khan offered spirited resistance with a quickfire 25 off 9 balls, but the Tiigers ultimately collapsed to 74/9, falling 29 runs short of their target.
Bowling Excellence and Historic Individual Honors
Anurag Sarshar emerged as the bowling hero for Chennai, finishing with exceptional figures of 3/17. He received strong support from Sunil Kumar and Ankur Singh, who claimed two wickets each to dismantle Kolkata's batting lineup.
The tournament concluded with historic individual recognition as Jagannath Sarkar secured the Most Valuable Player award, earning the unprecedented prize of a Porsche 911 sports car—the most valuable individual award in the history of Indian competitive sports tournaments.
ISPL Season 3 Award Winners
- Best Batter: Saif Ali (Tiigers of Kolkata)
- Best Bowler: Parveen Kumar (Falcon Risers Hyderabad)
- Best Catch: Prathamesh Thackeray (Ahmedabad Lions)
- Most Valuable Player: Jagannath Sarkar (Chennai Singams)
Brief Scores: Chennai Singams 103/7 in 10 overs (Ketan Mhatre 30; Saroj Pramanik 3/18) defeated Tiigers of Kolkata 74/9 in 10 overs (Arish Khan 25; Anurag Sarshar 3/17) by 29 runs.
