KARACHI: Moni Sports Karachi won the second leg of the National Tapeball Championship when they defeated Noor Sports Hyderabad by eight runs at the DHA Sports Club (Moin Khan Academy) on Sunday.

The tournament carried a prize pool of PKR 15 million (US$54,000), with Moni Sports Karachi receiving PKR 10 million (US$36,000). All matches of the tournament were live-streamed on the National Tapeball Championship Youtube Channel and also covered across all social media channels.

Moni Sports batted first and collected 118 for four in six overs, with Usman Ali smashing 60 runs off 18 balls. In turn, Noor Sports Hyderabad were still in the game when they required 44 off 13 balls. But they lost Syed Nasir on the Super Ball, which resulted in the docking of 10 runs, leaving them needing 34 runs off 12 balls. Noor Sports managed to collect 26 runs in the last two overs to finish at 110 for six. Syed Nasir top-scored with 36 off 14 balls and Khurram Chakwal scored 24 off seven balls.

In the semi-finals, Moni Sports defeated Sherwani Sports by 24 runs, while Noor Sports defeated Saqib Sports by nine wickets. Wasif Sports Karachi and TZ Sports Karachi were the other two sides that took part in the week-long event, held in a single-league format with each innings limited to six overs.

Gujranwala’s Wasif Sports had won the first leg of the tournament in Multan in March. The third leg will be held in September in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Scores in brief:

SEMI-FINAL 1 – Moni Sports Karachi (117-3, 6 overs) beat Sherwani Sports Karachi (93-3, 6 overs) by 24 runs

SEMI-FINAL 2 – Noor Sports (91-1, 3.5 overs) beat Saqib Sports (90-5, 6 overs) by nine wickets

THE FINAL – Moni Sports Karachi (118-4, 6 overs) beat Noor Sports Hyderabad (110-4, 6 overs) by 8 runs