ABL Stallions and UMT Markhors set to lock horns in Champions T20 Cup final

ABL Stallions and UMT Markhors set to lock horns in Champions T20 Cup final

(Asghar Ali Mubarak)

Rawalpindi: The Top-notch ABL Stallions and UMT Markhors are set to affirm Pakistan’s inclination to adopt fiery and robust style of T20 cricket as they face off in the final of the Bahria Town Champions T20 Cup final in Rawalpindi on Wednesday.

Pakistan Cricket Board has devised the idea of the Champions Cup to not only find new talent but also groom those who have been excelling at the domestic level but are yet to reach the international standards. The first of such events was successfully held in the 50-over format in Faisalabad in September this year.

The Bahria Town Champions T20 Cup targeted a new and aggressive style of T20 cricket which the top teams have adopted and it also kick-started Pakistan’s preparation for the upcoming white-ball mega events including the ICC Champions Trophy and the ICC T20 World Cup in 2026.

After intense and interesting 20 matches plus the Qualifier, ABL Stallions and UMT Markhors qualified for the final, who will vie for the Trophy and a prize pot of PKR 25 million.

Both the finalists won six of their eight matches with two defeats each but ABL Stallions cruised into the final with a better net run-rate of 0.805 to UMT Markhors’ 0.606. Misbah-ul-Haq mentored UMT Markhors beat Nurpur Lions in the Qualifiers. The two teams shared a match each in the double league phase, with Stallions winning the first by 29 runs and losing the next by three runs. That sets both the teams intriguingly placed for the final.

Stallions captain Mohammad Haris described the campaign as a “topsy-turvy one.”

“Overall the team’s journey has been good with its ups and down,” said Haris on the eve of the final. “Boys have got good chances and I have learnt a lot of things under team mentor Shoaib Malik.”

Haris singled out Maaz Sadaqat, Shamyl Hussain and Mehran Mumtaz as some of the exciting youngsters in the squad, hoping hard work will take them to places.

Rival skipper Iftikhar Ahmed said the aim was to improve the style of play and to feed aggressive players to the Pakistan team.

“We have overcome challenges and have tried to adopt new styles of T20 cricket which are prevalent at the international level and that was told to us by our mentor Misbah-ul-Haq,” said Iftikhar.

“We have several good performances with Akif Javed bowling exceptionally well. Khawaja Mohammad Nafay is a new and exciting talent with Saad Masood also impressive with his skills.

“Credit to Misbah and the staff for helping us and this has been a good tournament, long enough to give maximum opportunities to young players.”

Some powerful striking has been seen in the event with Abdul Samad (strike-rate 169.11), Haider Ali (161.53), Hussain Talat (156.56), Mohammad Haris (153.08) and Khushdil Shah (151.72) – a marked improvement in the powerful batting, so much needed at the international level.

All-rounder Hussain Talat has anchored Stallions’s batting with a hundred in his aggregate of 310 at an impressive strike rate of 156 while experienced Fakhar Zaman topped the chart for Markhors with 283 runs coming at a strike rate of 138.73.

Stallions can boast of fast bowler Mohammad Ali who is top on the bowlers’ list with 19 wickets in eight matches while Nisar Ahmed of Markhors is third on the list with 15 wickets in nine matches. The two teams have enough firepower in all three departments, promising a mouth-watering final.

ABL Stallions road to final:

7 Dec – beat Panthers by 35 runs
8 Dec – beat Lions by 12 runs
12 Dec – lost to Markhors by three runs
13 Dec – beat Dolphins by five runs
15 Dec – beat Panthers by six wickets
17 Dec – lost to Lions by three wickets
20 Dec – beat Markhors by 29 runs
21 Dec – beat Dolphins by six wickets

UMT Markhors road to final

7 Dec – beat Lions by four wickets
10 Dec – beat Dolphins by two wickets
12 Dec – beat Stallions by three runs
13 Dec – lost to Panthers by six wickets
15 Dec – beat Lions by three wickets
18 Dec – beat Dolphins by eight wickets
20 Dec – lost to Stallions by 29 runs
21 Dec – beat Panthers by six wickets
23 Dec – Qualifier – beat Lions by 29 runs