Raipur, March 15 (IANS) The stage is set for a clash between two masters of cricket in the final of the inaugural edition of the International Masters League (IML). On Sunday, Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara will lead India Masters and West Indies Masters respectively, in the summit clash of the tournament at the SVNS International Stadium in Raipur.
The India Masters, one of the pre-tournament title favourites, have enjoyed a near-perfect run through the IML, even as they avenged their only loss at the league stage against Australia Masters, by getting the better of Shane Watson’s team in the first semi-final on Thursday.
The home side began its campaign with an exciting four-run win against Sri Lanka Masters, after which it registered a convincing nine-wicket win against England Masters. The India Masters then completed a hat-trick of wins with an eight-wicket thrashing of South Africa Masters, before Australia Masters broke their winning streak in the fourth match.
Sachin Tendulkar’s side, however, regained the momentum by getting the better of the West Indies Masters by seven runs, to finish second at the league stage of the tournament. They then beat Australia Masters in the semi-final by 94 runs.
On the other hand, the West Indies Masters also began their campaign with back-to-back wins against Australia Masters and England Masters. However, they stumbled with consecutive losses to Sri Lanka Masters and India Masters. A 29-run victory over South Africa Masters in their final group game enabled them to secure a place in the semi-finals. They held their nerve to edge out Sri Lanka Masters by six runs in the second semi-final.
The IML final between India Masters and West Indies Masters on Sunday promises to be a thrilling culmination of what has been a splendid tournament, in which fans have relived cricket’s golden era by watching cricketing masters and icons in all their glory, all over again.
Squads:
West Indies Masters: Brian Lara (c), Chris Gayle, Kirk Edwards, Lendl Simmons, Narsingh Deonarine, Ashley Nurse, Dwayne Smith, Chadwick Walton (wk), Denesh Ramdin (wk), William Perkins (wk), Fidel Edwards, Jerome Taylor, Ravi Rampaul, Sulieman Benn, Tino Best
India Masters: Sachin Tendulkar (c), Ambati Rayudu, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Irfan Pathan, Stuart Binny, Yusuf Pathan, Naman Ojha (wk), Abhimanyu Mithun, Dhawal Kulkarni, Pawan Negi, Rahul Sharma, Shahbaz Nadeem, Vinay Kumar
–IANS
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