Kadak Premier League: Thambapanni Lions, Stride Leos crowned 2025 Champions

Summary

The Thambapanni Lions and Stride Leos were crowned 2025 Kadak Premier League Champions yesterday after a whirlwind finals day at the U-Pro Indoor Sports Centre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The Lions collected a winners cheque of AED 33,000 (USD 9,000) and their first KPL trophy after a seven-run win over the JLT Challengers in the final. Meanwhile, the Leos beat out the Thambapanni Vipers by just five runs to win back-to-back titles in the Women’s division.

Men’s Division

A well-contested final saw the Lions post 34 after winning the toss and opting to bat first. Tournament MVP Matthew Floros was the only Challengers player to take a wicket, whilst Adnan Khan and Hemant Chandra chipped in 11 runs as the highest pair for the Lions. was the only Challengers player to take a wicket, which saw his side need 4.50 runs per over to win the title.

The Challengers stayed in the contest, with 20 runs after six seeing them need 15 runs off the final two overs. But wickets firstly to Ali Sheikh, and then two more to Chandra in the final over was enough to ice the game and bring the title to the Lions.

Earlier in the day, round-robin play concluded with the Lions and Challengers securing first and second, and automatic qualification for the semi-finals. The Avengers (third), Dynamos (fourth), Tigers (fifth) and Freestylers (sixth) would play off in the qualifiers to join Lions and Challengers in the semi-finals. Last year’s champions, the Strikers, lost their last round-robin game to the last-placed Incredibles, and fell out of the top six as a result.

In the qualifiers, the Tigers beat the Dynamos to reach the semi-finals for the second year running, whilst the Avengers’ 58-run hammering of the Freestylers also saw them grab a semi-final spot.

In the semi-finals, the Challengers overpowered the Tigers by 38-14, whilst the Lions’ 31-10 win over the Avengers saw a grand final showdown between the two best sides in the competition.

Results - Men’s Division

Grand Final: Full Scorecard

Lions 34 (Khan/Chandra 11, Parys/Bhatti 0/4) def Challengers 27 (Bhatti/Riasat 9, Vyas 1/-2) by seven runs

MVP: Daivik Rai, Lions

Other Results

Semi-Final 1:

Challengers 38 def Tigers 14

MVP: Taimur Bhatti, Challengers

Semi-Final 2:

Lions 31 def Avengers 10

MVP: Daivik Rai, Lions

Qualifier 1:

Tigers 44 def Dynamos 30

MVP: Ryan Jackson, Tigers

Qualifier 2:

Avengers 63 def Freestylers 5

MVP: Prashath Kumara, Avengers

Round-Robin - Session 1:

Blasters 46 (2) def Incredibles 19 (2)

MVP: Arjun Manohar, Blasters

Dynamos 39 (3) def Kabab Rolls -11 (1)

MVP: Ashik Vik, Dynamos

Round-Robin - Session 2:

Incredibles 35 (1) def Strikers 12 (3)

MVP: Anshu Gopal, Strikers

Tigers 35 (3) def Warriors 26 (1)

MVP: Sethuraj Karate, Tigers

Avengers 28 (2) def Kabab Rolls 13 (2)

MVP: Tharindu Mendis, Avengers

Lions 37 (2) def Dynamos 32 (2)

Daya Shetty, Lions

Round-Robin - Session 3:

Challengers 56 (3) def Avengers 51 (1)

MVP: Usman Munir, Avengers

Lions 45 (4) def Freestylers 36 (0)

MVP: Saqib Nazir, Lions

Final Standings after Round-Robin

1. Lions (Q: Semi-Final)

2. Challengers (Q: Semi-Final)

3. Avengers (Q: Qualifier)

4. Dynamos (Q: Qualifier)

5. Tigers (Q: Qualifier)

6. Freestylers (Q: Qualifier)

7. Strikers

8. Blasters

9. Kabab Rolls

10. Warriors

11. Incredibles

Women’s Division

The Stride Leos became champions for a second time after defeating the Vipers by five runs in a close-run final.

The Leos batted first and put together 42 off the back of a 19-run second pair effort from Adelaide Campion and Zonika Olivier. In the chase, a couple of early wickets set back the Vipers, who were left needing 24 off the final two overs. Despite the efforts of Gayathri Kariyawasam and Udara Bandara, who put together 18 without a dismissal, it wasn’t enough as the Leos retained the title they won in the inaugural Women’s division last year.

Earlier, the round-robin concluded with the Vipers, despite a loss to the Panthers, qualifying first and earning direct entry into the final. The Panthers were also dealt a loss by the Leos, who won their last two games to finish third behind the Panthers, with both teams clashing in the preliminary final.

The Leos defeated the Panthers 39-10 in the preliminary final, their third straight win of the day, to make the grand final, and their momentum continued right to the trophy for a second time running.

Results - Women’s Division

Grand Final: Full Scorecard

Leos 42 (Campion/Olivier 19, Campion 2/-4) def Vipers 37 (Kariyawasam/Bandara 18, Rajapaksha 2/-8 by five runs

MVP: Lakmali Rajapaksha, Vipers

Preliminary Final:

Leos 49 def Panthers 10

MVP: Himasha Kumarage, Leos

Round-Robin - Session 1:

Leos 51 (3) def Panthers 23 (1)

MVP: Zonika Olivier, Leos

Vipers 59 (3) def Queens 23 (1)

MVP: Methma Hetiarachchi, Vipers

Round-Robin - Session 2:

Panthers 51 (3) def Vipers 37 (1)

MVP: Harini Dossprakash, Panthers

Leos 41 (4) def Queens 3 (0)

MVP: Chamani Seneviratne, Leos

Final Standings after Round-Robin

1. Vipers (Q: Final)

2. Panthers (Q: Preliminary Final)

3. Leos (Q: Preliminary Final)

4. Queens

Prize List - Men’s Division

*All champions and runners-up team cash prizes will be distributed via 50% to each member of the squad by the KPL Organising Committee, and 50% to the team owner, who can distribute this portion to the squad members at their discretion.

The player of the match from the winning side of each match played during the tournament received AED 150, and best player from the losing side received AED 100.

Prize List - Women’s Division

Fixtures, Results, Standings and Statistics

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• Day 4, Court 2

• Day 4, Court 3

• Day 4, Court 4

Image: U-Pro Indoor Cricket