Pictured above is the Long Island Lions team.
It all came down to the final game of the regular season for Commonwealth Cricket League (CCL), where defending champions Long Island Lions took on NY Zalmi at Cunningham Park, NY.
Having beaten the number 1 seeded Desi Hitterz in the semi-final, NY Zalmi was on a high, but Long Island Lions who beat # seed Paki Pride, was determined to make it their 3rd championship victory in a row.
The structure for playoffs was changed this year and the top four teams each from the morning division and the North Division of CCL were put in what was called the President’s Morning Division. It was a tough playoff setup, but the two finalists made it through to play for glory on September 11, 2016.
Having won the toss, Long Island Lions’ captain Kunaal Kapoor elected to bat first, and his batsmen did not disappoint him. Lions made a mammoth 280 in their 30 overs. Key contributions came from in-form batsmen Rishi Rawat (82) and Baaz Ghotra (78), who gave the Lions a solid start. It was a flurry of big shots in the end from Kunaal Kapoor (51) and Gaurav Grover (32) who took the total past 250, and forcing NY Zalmi out of the game.
In return NY Zalmi could only manage 182 in 27.3 overs before getting all out. Lions who were playing four spinners, made full use of the conditions and the big score. Spinners Sachin Mohan, Sushanth Kamath, Gaurav Grover, and Ashish Kumar took two wickets each.
It was a great end to a great 2016 season. LI Lions had lost only two of their 16 games during the season and continued their domination of the Morning Division. It was Long Island Lions’ third successive championship title.
