The first Mbombela Premier League (MPL) champions have been crowned. Valencia Cricket Oval was the venue for the last play-off game and finals of the Mbombela Premier League (MPL) on Sunday.

Fans of the teams in action packed the embankments around the boundary of the beautiful grounds.

The morning encounter saw tournament favourites Warriors Cricket Club take on the White River Challengers for a spot in the final.

The White River Challengers won the toss and elected to bowl first on a pitch that showed signs of dampness due to early morning dew.  The Warriors’ batsmen found the batting conditions tough as their first four batsmen failed to trouble the scorer much.

In-form batsman Imran Patel came in at number five and managed to score 42 valuable runs for the Warriors. This enabled them to reach a defendable score of 152 runs in their allotted 20 overs.

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Pick of the bowlers for the White River Challengers was rookie player Salman Mohamed. He bowled a magnificent spell of four overs, conceding 18 runs and picking up three wickets. This was a personal MPL best for the 15-year-old.

Chasing 153 runs for a spot in the final was not going to be an easy task for the White River Challengers, especially against the formidable Warriors’ bowling attack.

The White River Challengers stuttered along in their run chase with only Afzal Patel (35) and Faizel Malek (28) making any meaningful contributions, as they only managed to reach a total of 125 runs in the allotted 20 overs.

Spin veteran Javid Master was the pick of the bowlers for Warriors as he snatched three wickets and conceded just 14 runs in his four-over spell. The 27-run win booked the Warriors a spot in the showpiece of the tournament.

The man-of-the-match award went to Imran for scoring 42 runs. Javid Master claimed the game-changer award for his fine bowling performance.

The MPL was all set for a final that many predicted from the outset of the tournament as the mighty Warriors Cricket Club took on a quietly confident young Valencia All Stars.

The Valencia All Stars captain, Zaheer Methar, won the toss and elected to bat first.

This decision seemed to backfire as the Valencia top-order batsmen struggled to come to terms with the Warriors bowling attack. Valencia All Stars were reeling at 74 for the loss of seven wickets when all-rounder Aiyub Bhikhu walked to the crease in the 15th over.

Bhikhu powered his way to a magnificent 43 runs of 22 balls, propelling Valencia All Stars to 132 runs.

The wickets were shared among all the Warriors bowlers.

On any given day, money will always be on Warriors Cricket Club to chase 133 runs for victory in 20 overs. However, to the surprise of many, they seemed to have made changes to their batting strategy by sending in hard-hitting middle-order batsmen Sakib “Gayle” Patel to open the innings.

This strategy did not pay off as he was back in the change room for only 12 runs.

In another surprise move, specialist bowler Mohammed Bhula was sent in at the fall of the second wicket, and again this strategy backfired as Bhula was also sent packing without troubling the scorers.

Against all odds and for the second time in two weeks, Valencia All Star bowlers rallied together and kept putting Warriors batsmen under immense pressure. This strange batting strategy, against a spirited, young and energetic Valencia outfit, saw Warriors lose wickets regularly.

Reduced to 76 for nine wickets, Warriors had their backs against the wall. A spirited last-wicket stand of 41 runs gave them some hope of pulling off a miracle recovery.

Bhiku put Warriors out of their misery by trapping Anas Kadre (23 runs) LBW in front of middle stump, handing Valencia All Stars a well-deserved 15-run win.

Not for the first time this season did rookie player, 16-year-old Devon du Plessis, shine with the ball. He claimed three wickets and conceded just 13 runs in four overs. His economy rate was 3,25, remarkable for T20 cricket. This performance saw him claim the game-changer award.

Bhikhu was adjudicated man of the match for his fine innings and superb fielding.

Valencia All Stars were crowned MPL T20 Champions for the 2019/20 season.

“The inaugural season of Mbombela Premier League was a huge success,” said Idris Nomani, chairperson of the MPL.

“The support that we received from teams, players and corporate sponsors all contributed to a successful season. I cannot stress more the importance of giving youngsters the platform to improve their game. For me as chairperson, this was our biggest achievement this season. A team like Valencia All Stars played throughout the season and in the final today with four rookie schoolboy players. The experience and knowledge that youngsters gain by playing at senior level is invaluable.

“Thank you to all the teams for participating in MPL T20 and congratulations to the MPL champions, Valencia All Stars. I would also like to extend an invitation to other cricket clubs in the Lowveld to join this initiative. Together we can take cricket in the Lowveld to greater heights.”