Sunrisers claim third successive JPL title with win over Super Kings

The East Kanto Sunrisers have once again claimed the Japan Premier League title, winning the Final of the 11th edition by six wickets and 23 balls to spare.

It’s a three-peat for the men in green and gold, who triumphed in spite of the absence of captain Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming, sitting out with an ankle injury.

Overseas player Will Bosisto took the captaincy reins for the contest and led the Sunrisers with a bowling performance of 2/30 to go with his 36 (26) that laid the foundation of their successful chase.

Having won the toss, Bosisto was canny with his plans in the field, stifling the Super Kings in a collapse of five wickets for six runs in 4.1 overs.

In a hole of 46/5 and then 7/70 and watching the dismissals from the other end, Super Kings captain Sabaorish Ravichandran only found a partner down at No.9 in the form of Kiefer Yamamoto-Lake, with the pair belting 61 runs in under five overs to post 131/8.

Ravichandran made an unbeaten 35 as the Super Kings clawed to a respectable total, with Yamamoto-Lake belting three sixes and three fours in a knock of 37 (17).

Yamamoto-Lake was only dismissed off the last ball of the innings, with the pair scoring 45 in the final three overs.

The Sunrisers were always ahead in their chase, with Bosisto joined by Shogo Kimura (30) who again showed calm as he did a day prior against the Kansai Chargers.

Ravichandran hit back with the ball to dismiss his opposition captain LBW to again hit back, though Tsuyoshi Takada ensured a smooth finish alongside Shoma Sugaya-Slater.

A 15-run over in the 15th over all but finished the job, with Takada hitting the winning runs for back-to-back-to-back supremacy.

In the third-place playoff U19 international Nikhil Pol stole the show, hitting 11 sixes in a 35-ball 93, powering the North Kanto Lions to 217.

Fellow young star Hugo Tani-Kelly hit a 37-ball 59 himself with 10 boundaries, but despite his work and that of Lachlan Yamamoto-Lake (50 off 32 balls), the Hurricanes fell 40 runs short.

Paddy Dooley (3/25 off four overs) and Monty Hara-Hinze (3/35 from 3.3 overs) prevented any further Hurricanes resistance.