Gautam Gambhir, India Capitals captain: In Lucknow, it was not that competitive. In the last few games, it got really competitive. You want to push as much as you can. I think guys will get better in the next season and it is going to be much better. Indian cricket is still important. First-Class cricket is still the most important format. But if you don't want to play domestic cricket and are not getting picked in the IPL, you can come here and play. We did not have any other options apart from Mitch but it was an incredible comeback.

Irfan Pathan, Bhilwara Kings captain: It has been a fantastic league. Four teams played very good cricket. Lot of people thought this will be a league where retired players come, have fun and go home. This has been a hard-fought tournament. The female umpires getting chances to officiate in this league. It has been fantastic. The physios have done really well, looked after us. It has been demanding but this is what we do. We love to be associated with the game and there is nothing better. Kudos to Gautam and his team. Ross Taylor, he is in outstanding form. Mitch played really well. We did not bowl in the right areas. If you bowl like that, you are going to get hit. The workload I have had in the last month gave me a lot of confidence.

Ross Taylor, Player of the Match: It has been a fantastic tournament and nice to contribute. Did not think we would get 200. But the way Mitchell Johnson came out there and the partnership we had was fantastic. He did it a few times for Australia as well, so not a surprise. He made my job a lot easier and he probably deserves this award as well. It has been great fun. You don't think you will get an opportunity to play again. It was nice to hit a couple out of the middle and hopefully I can come back a few more years.

Yusuf Pathan, Player of the Series: I really enjoyed playing here with my team. This league was organized very well. I enjoyed batting on these wickets. All the teams were putting efforts and I am very happy to play here. I really enjoyed playing with him [Irfan], it is the first time we have played a franchise league together. We reached the final and really happy for both of us and the team. Thanks to the team for putting so much effort.

Wow! The scorecard might tell you that this was a one-sided contest. For the first half, though, it was anything but that. The Kings surged into the ascendancy and put the Capitals under all sorts of pressure in the powerplay. The latter, however, rode on Johnson and Taylor's brilliance to not just recover but also transfer pressure back onto the Kings. Once that partnership established itself at the crease, the Kings suffered and they could not really come back into the game.

Then, their openers, who have been at the heart of everything good they have done, departed relatively early. Yusuf followed suit soon and when Watson was run out in bizarre circumstances, the writing was on the wall for the Kings. That said, they have put together an excellent campaign and should be proud of all that they have achieved. On the night that mattered, though, the Capitals were just too good

18.2

Bhatia to Best, OUT

that will be that! The Capitals win this season of Legends League Cricket! Gentle slower delivery on a full length on middle and off stump. Best gets forward and tamely chips it back to the bowler, who makes absolutely no mistake. The Capitals are over the moon and they should be! They have saved their best for the end!

Tino Best c & b Bhatia 2 (5b 0x4 0x6) SR: 40

WATCH - Tino Best chips it back to the bowler

0:05

Videos

18.1

•

Bhatia to Best, no run

Length delivery outside off stump. Best has a swish at it and misses. He over-balances a touch but manages to ground his back foot just in time

Bhatia to continue. And we have an appeal for a stumping first ball

Over18

3 runs, 1 wicket

BK 107/9CRR: 5.94 RRR: 52.50

TL Best 2 (3b)S Sreesanth 13 (10b 1x4 1x6)

PV Tambe2/19 (4)

17.6

Tambe to Best, 1 run

very full delivery on middle and off stump. Best comes forward and squirts the ball off the inside edge into the on side for a single

17.5

•

Tambe to Best, no run

length delivery down the leg side. This time, Best has a swipe at it and skews it off the top edge towards short fine leg

17.4

Tambe to Sreesanth, 1 run

very full delivery on off stump. Sreesanth plants his front foot and shanks it down the ground towards long on for a single

17.3

•

Tambe to Sreesanth, no run

back of a length delivery outside off stump. Sreesanth gets onto the back foot and chops it down to the fielder at short third man

17.2

Tambe to Best, 1 run

back of a length delivery outside off stump. Best goes back and punches the ball towards deep cover point for a single

Tino Best is the last man out. He is walking very gingerly to the crease

17.1

Tambe to Bresnan, OUT

knocks him over! Full delivery on leg stump. Bresnan hares down the track without gauging the pitch of the ball and ends up yorking himself. The ball sneaks under the bat and kisses the outside of the leg stump. The ball then strikes the keeper's pads and the umpire wants to go upstairs, just to be sure. The third umpire confirms that the ball has struck the stumps first and Bresnan is on his way!

Tim Bresnan b Tambe 7 (17b 0x4 0x6) SR: 41.17

0:08

Videos

Tambe to bowl out. The Kings need a six every ball from here to win

Over17

3 runs

BK 104/8CRR: 6.11 RRR: 36.00

TT Bresnan 7 (16b)S Sreesanth 12 (8b 1x4 1x6)

R Bhatia0/2 (1)

16.6

1lb

Bhatia to Bresnan, 1 leg bye

off-pace delivery on a length on leg stump. Bresnan swings and misses, and the ball pings off the pads into the leg side for another leg bye

16.5

•

Bhatia to Bresnan, no run

huge appeal, not given! Length delivery outside off stump. Bresnan continues swinging like a rusty gate and seems to miss. The keeper and the bowler, though, think there is bat involved. The umpire says no

16.4

Bhatia to Sreesanth, 1 run

slower delivery on a length outside off stump. Sreesanth has an agricultural hack at it and toe-ends it down to short third man for a single

16.3

Bhatia to Bresnan, 1 run

off-pace delivery on a length on off stump. Bresnan gets down on one knee and heaves it towards deep backward square leg for a single

16.2

•

Bhatia to Bresnan, no run

slower delivery on a length just outside off stump. Bresnan throws his hands at it again but can't get any bat on it

16.1

•

Bhatia to Bresnan, no run

back of a length delivery outside off stump. Bresnan has a dab at it but misses. Might have been beaten for pace there. Did not bounce a lot as well

Bhatia, like he usually does, comes on to bowl the 17th. Can he wrap up this innings quickly?

Over16

9 runs

BK 101/8CRR: 6.31 RRR: 27.75

S Sreesanth 11 (7b 1x4 1x6)TT Bresnan 6 (11b)

PV Tambe1/16 (3)

15.6

•

Tambe to Sreesanth, no run

length delivery outside off stump that spins away further. Sreesanth has a swipe across the line but only swats away a few flies in the process

15.5

•

Tambe to Sreesanth, no run

length delivery just outside off stump that skids through. Sreesanth goes feeling for it and is beaten for pace as the ball zips past him

15.4

Tambe to Sreesanth, SIX runs

six more! Tossed up into the slot on off stump. Sreesanth plants his front foot and smokes it over long on for a maximum

15.3

Tambe to Bresnan, 1 run

very full delivery at the stumps. Bresnan comes forward and eases it down the ground towards long on for a single

15.2

Tambe to Sreesanth, 1 run

full delivery on off stump. Sreesanth thinks about the slog before changing his stroke and flicking it towards deep mid wicket for a single

15.1

Tambe to Bresnan, 1 run

length delivery outside off stump. Bresnan comes forward and knocks the ball down the ground for a single

The Kings have only two wickets left and need 24 runs per over hereon. Fair to say then that the outcome has become a foregone conclusion. Can they hit a few boundaries to cheer up their fans, though?

Read full commentary

Match details

GroundSawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur

TossBhilwara Kings, elected to field first

Series

Legends League Cricket

Season2022

Players per sideIndia Capitals 13 (11 batting, 11 fielding); Bhilwara Kings 13 (11 batting, 11 fielding)

Player Of The Match

Ross Taylor

Player Of The Series

Yusuf Pathan