The Finals - BoB shows no mercy!

What a cracker of a match! It was nothing short of a war on the field. Both teams had nothing to loose and everything to play for! The war of words had started between them even before BoB had reached the finals! This was a showdown both the teams were waiting for. With a loss at the finals of NPL 3.0, LBC were sniffing revenge. BoB, getting beaten by LBC in the league stages of the tournament, were hungry for blood. Needless to say ... it was mayhem on the field! 

The match began with BoB winning the toss and electing to field. LBC started cautiously with some quick singles. They saw through the initial few overs without loosing any wickets. Although there weren't any fireworks, but they maintained a healthy run rate with steady running between the wickets. Both the openers Manish and Sachin were looking good before Himanshu Shivnani bowled an excellent delivery to get Manish caught behind. With Manish getting out,  the danger man Piyush came in next. However, BoB were in no mood to let Piyush go berserk like their last match. Himanshi Shivnani bowled a very tight line to Piyush with every ball in the block hole. Ultimately, seeking a run after soo many dots, Piyush found himself stranded midway on the pitch with the ball going straight to the keeper. Deepak Pant (the keeper for today's match) didn't waste a single moment in hitting the stumps and getting the danger man out! With Piyush gone, things started to look up for BoB. To make matters even worse for LBC, Sachin departed in the very next over getting caught behind off Amit Singh's bowling. BoB were ecstatic. There were literally celebrations all around the field. But were they celebrating too soon? LBC were struggling with their best batsmen back in the pavillion. However, Girish and Amit Singh came in to the crease with a mission. They provided a nice platform for LBC. The second spell from the BoB bowlers was very unimpressive. With lot of wides, no balls and over throws, BoB gave far too many runs at the death. Girish and Amit also took the game away to an extent with some monstrous hitting all over the park. LBC ended up with 98 off their 12 overs. A total which was definitely competitive in an all important final.

BoB got off to a very nervous start with Himanshu Shivnani getting out in the first over itself, trying to heave a six off Girish. He was brilliantly caught by Piyush at the boundary. With a wicket falling in the very first over, BoB looked to be going down. However, Himanshu Shivhare came in next and he was in no mood to relent. They say...cometh the hour..cometh the man! And Himanshu was the MAN today!. He went after LBC from the first ball he faced. He started off with a 20 run over of Manish, consisting of 2 H-U-G-E sixes and 2 fours! He treated the LBC bowlers with utter disrespect clearing the boundary at will. He scored a quick fire 33 off just 13 balls before ultimately going down to Girish's bowling. Although he departed, but he made sure BoB was back in the game. It was left for the captain Deepak Pant and the rest of the batting lineup to play sensibly. Deepak played a captain's innings switching gears as and when the situation demanded. He rotated the strike, hit the occasional boundary and made sure Himanshu Shivhare's blitzkrieg would not go to waste. He stayed till the end and saw the team through. BoB reached the target in the last over with a 6 from Nirmal. They won it with 5 wickets in hand...a comfortable win at the end.

With this win, Block or Bleed have won the tournament 3 times, the maximum number of times any team has won the tournament. They also remain unbeaten in the finals with a 100 % winning rate. 

Wow!..what a tournament we've had. From close finishes to downright dominance, NPL 5.0 delivered what it promised - good, competitive, hard hitting cricket. Here's hoping to see even bigger action from NPL 6.0.....coming soon?..we hope.