The Reliance 1 side, through complete all-round performances, with almost every player stepping up at different stages of the tournament and performing just when it mattered, emerged as winners of the 17th DY Patil T20 Cup with a thrilling one-run victory in the final over DY Patil B team here.
The final was a proper thriller. All-rounder Hrithik Shokeen was once again impressive with a fifty, but Reliance 1 ended up with nothing more than just a par score of 153, getting bowled out inside their 20 overs at the D.Y Patil Stadium.
But all their bowlers were absolutely clinical with their performance, constantly keeping up the pressure all through the innings. Akash Madhwal was entrusted with the final over.
He had six runs to defend. Baltej Singh took a single off the first ball, and his partner, Jayesh Pokhara, smashed a boundary off the next. The equation suddenly was down to two runs off four balls.
The match was well and truly in DY Patil's court. What followed next was proper magic. Two dots, two wickets, and Madhwal had carried Reliance 1 to the trophy, winning by the skin of their teeth, by one run.
Several players in the Reliance 1 team are a part of the Mumbai Indians setup for the upcoming IPL 2023, starting from March 31.