KBT vs AKS | Vinoop Manoharan special helps Kochi dethrone Kollam to maiden KCL title

‌Kochi Blue Tigers won their maiden Kerala Cricket League title as they thrashed defending champions Aries Kollam Sailors by 75 runs in the final of the 2025 edition in Trivandrum on Sunday. Opener Vinoop Manoharan top-scored in the contest, smashing 70 runs off just 30 balls, to power the Tigers to a big win in a one-sided contest.

After being put into bat at the Greenfield International Stadium, the Tigers were put on the back foot as opener Vipul Shakthi departed cheaply in the second over. However, that did not bother fellow opener Manoharan as he smashed medium pacer Amal AG for three boundaries in the next over. He followed it up with three fours and a six off Pavan Raj before welcoming Sharafuddeen with a four and two giant hits. The Tigers, courtesy of Manoharan’s exploits, powered to 78/1 at the end of the powerplay before the batter was dismissed in the eighth over by Sajeevan Akhil. His innings was studded with four sixes and nine fours, and his dismissal triggered a collapse as the Tigers slid from 83/1 to 111/6 in the gap of 40 balls. However, Alfi Francis’s enterprising and unbeaten cameo of 47 off 25 balls ensured that the Tigers finished at 181/8 in their stipulated 20 overs. He hit three sixes and five fours during his knock as the Kochi-based franchise plundered 70 runs in the last six overs. Pavan and Sharafuddeen were both expensive as they ended with figures of 2/44 in four overs and 2/39 in three overs, respectively.

The Sailors were never in the chase as they had a bad start and then kept losing wickets at regular intervals. The Tigers’ skipper Saly Samson, who started off proceedings with the new ball, sent back both openers Bharath Soorya and Abhishek Nair with the last ball of his first two overs. The Sailors were placed at 48/3 at the end of the mandatory powerplay, but things went further south when their in-form batting duo of captain Sachin Baby (17) and wicketkeeper Vishnu Vinod (10) perished in quick succession. With 115 runs required in the last 12 overs and only four wickets remaining, the writing was on the wall for the Sailors. Vijay Vishwanath just delayed the inevitable as he emerged as the top-scorer for the Kollam franchise with an unbeaten 23 off 24 balls. Their surrender was complete as the innings folded out for 106 with 21 balls to spare. Left-arm spinner Jerin PS was the pick among the Tigers’ bowlers with figures of 3/21, while Saly, KM Asif, and Muhammad Ashik all had two wickets to their name.