Texas Chargers held their nerve at crucial moments to defeat New York Warriors in the final of the US Masters T10. The Chargers won the inaugural title after a Super Over finish. Texas were cruising in response to a 93-run target but saw a dramatic collapse and had to redeem themselves through the tie-breaker.
Batting first in a thrilling contest, the New York Warriors lost opener Kamran Akmal off the first delivery, before Tillakaratne Dilshan and Richard Levi steadied the ship. The duo put on a 30-run stand for the second wicket, playing with a risk-free approach, before Levi was knocked over for 17.
Dilshan added 18 to the cause and was the next to depart, with Misbah-ul-Haq being joined by Shahid Afridi. They could not kick on as Afridi was dismissed for 1, by Ehsan Adil, who finished his spell with three wickets.
The captain could add only five in the seventh over, and Abdul Razzaq (3) departed in the eighth over, with the score at 62/6. After that, Jonathan Carter teed off for the Warriors, smashing three sixes and as many boundaries, taking the team to 92/6 in their quota of 10 overs.
In response, Texas lost the wicket of the in-form Mukhtar Ahmed for 6 in the second over. However, the very experienced Mohammad Hafeez had skipper Ben Dunk for company, and the duo dug in.
Hafeez has been in scintillating form and along with Dunk, put on a 46-run stand to set the Chargers on the way to the finish line. Dunk was dismissed for 20 but Hafeez was looking dangerous, as the Chargers reached 60/2 at the halfway stage.
Soon after, Hafeez was dismissed for 46, and Darren Stevens was gone for two, as the Chargers lost their fourth wicket. In the ninth over, Sohail Khan struck a few big blows as Upul Tharanga (1), Phil Mustard (0), Thisara Perera (4) and Neil Broom (1) were all dismissed quickly. Sohail finished with a five-wicket haul as the Warriors took control.
W. W. W. W. 🤯
Spare a thought for Sohail Khan and New York Warriors who refused to give up. 🙇♂️
In the final over, Shahid Afridi picked two wickets, as the Chargers were all out for 92, in their 10 overs, forcing the final into a tie-breaker.
In the Super Over, the Chargers batted first with Dunk and Hafeez coming out to face Sohail. The Chargers hit a couple of sixers and lost one wicket, of Hafeez, on the way to posting 15 runs. In reply, New York had Shahid Afridi and Jonathon Carter taking strike. The duo threw the kitchen sink at the Chargers, but fell just short, scoring 13 runs off the over.
A super over to bring the curtains down on a super finale 👊
Hafeez was also instrumental and consistent for Texas in the play-offs, including the Qualifer 2 when the Chargers knocked out California Knights by seven wickets and seven balls to spare.
Chasing a target of 140 in a high-scoring affair that saw a combined 23 sixes being hit, Hafeez and Mukhtar struck 20, 22 and 22 runs in Overs 2 to 4 to seal victory convincingly. Texas were leading the table in the league stage at one point but were the fourth and last to enter the play-offs. Yet, they steamrolled their way to the title.
A celebrity T10 match was organised before the final. Bollywood stars such as Suniel Shetty and Sohail Khan took part in the match along with chairman of T-Ten Global Sports, Shaji Ul Mulk, and Ritesh Patel, CEO of SAMP Group, the league’s organising partner.
Brief scores:
New York Warriors 92/6 (Jonathan Carter 39*, T Dilshan 18; Ehsan Adil 3/11; Imran Khan 1/15) tied with Texas Chargers 92 (Mohammad Hafeez 46, Ben Dunk 20; Sohail Khan 5/15, Umaid Asif 2/14)
The Global Chess League, a joint venture between FIDE and Tech Mahindra, is all set for the second season as 30 of the world’s best chess players were handpicked by six franchises during the Player Draft held on Sunday in New Delhi.
Following the huge success of the inaugural edition in Dubai last year, the second season is scheduled to take place from October 3rd to 12th at Friends House in London. All six teams – Alpine SG Pipers, Ganges Grandmasters, Mumba Masters, PBG Alaskan Knights, defending champions Triveni Continental Kings, and the debutants American Gambits– engaged in a thrilling bidding process to assemble strong squads for the second season of the league.
With 1000 points allocated to use during the bidding process, each franchise filled their quota of two Superstar Men, two Superstar Women, and one Prodigy player, in addition to the Icons announced last month.
The stellar line-up of Icon players include Magnus Carlsen (Alpine SG Pipers), Viswanathan Anand (Ganges Grandmasters), Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (Mumba Masters) Ian Nepomniachtchi (Triveni Continental Kings), and debutants Hikaru Nakamura (American Gambits) and Anish Giri (PBG Alaskan Knights).
The proceedings began with Richard Rapport getting drafted into Alpine SG Pipers, who completed their quota of Superstar Men after retaining the services of Praggnanandhaa R. American Gambits then completed their Superstar Men slots by picking Vladislav Artemiev and Jan-Krzysztof Duda. Arjun Erigaisi and Parham Maghsoodloo were drafted to Ganges Grandmasters, while PBG Alaskan Knights acquired Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and retained Nodirbek Abdusattorov. Triveni Continental Kings picked up Wei Yi and Teimour Radjabov.
Arjun Erigaisi, who recently broke into top five in World Rankings, expressed, “The player draft was absolutely thrilling and I am happy to turn up for the Ganges Grandmasters. They have picked versatile players and I look forward to a fantastic event in London.”
The Superstar Women dominated the Player Draft as franchises used significant amount of points from their purse to acquire their services. Apart from retaining Yan Zhongyi, PBG Alaskan Knights picked up Alina Kashlinskaya. Vaishali R and Nurgyul Salimova were drafted by Ganges Grandmasters, while Alexandra Kosteniuk and Valentina Gunina were acquired by Triveni Continental Kings. American Gambits filled in their quota of Superstar Women with Bibisara Assaubayeva and Elisabeth Paehtz, while Grandmasters Koneru Humpy and Harika Dronavalli were retained by Mumba Masters.
Four-time Women’s World Champion Hou Yifan said, “Firstly, I am happy to be part of the Global Chess League Season 2. The opening season in Dubai created a lot of buzz in the chess world and this time, I am happy to be part of the Alpine SG in this edition.”
PBG Alaskan Knights picked up Nihal Sarin, while Mumba Masters used their remaining purse to acquire Raunak Sadhwani. Daniel Dardha went to Alpine SG Pipers, Volodar Murzin to Ganges Grandmasters, Javokhir Sindarov to defending champions Triveni Continental Kings and Jonas Buhl Bjerre to American Gambits.
Expressing excitement on joining PBG Alaskan Knights, star prodigy Nihal Sarin, said, “For someone my age, coming up the ranks in this sport, I am super thrilled to be part of the Global Chess League Season 2. I am looking forward to learn from the stalwarts playing in this season and I am happy to be part of PBG Alaskan Knights this season.”
Upon the successful completion of the player draft for this second season, Sameer Pathak, CEO, Global Chess League, said, “We had an action-packed day at the players draft. All six franchises have put together strong and equal teams, and with the second season taking place in London, it is poised to be bigger and more exciting. Best wishes to all the players and franchises, we are eagerly anticipating a cracking extravaganza in October.
In the tournament, each team will play a total of 10 matches in a double round-robin format, with the winner of each match being decided in a best-of-six board scoring system.
The Global Chess League, a joint venture between FIDE and Tech Mahindra, today announced its star-studded list of men players for the second season, scheduled to be held from 3rdto 12th October at Friends House in London.
Joining the ranks of Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, and Viswanathan Anand in the second season are returning Superstars, including World No. 4 Arjun Erigaisi, World No. 6 Nodirbek Abdusattorov, World No. 8 Praggnanandhaa R, and World No. 10 Wei Yi.Praggnanandhaa R, who stole the limelight in the prodigy round of the first season and was awarded Player of the Tournament for his exceptional performance, will compete in the Superstar men’s category.
Making the competition even more compelling, Vidit Gujrathi, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, Richárd Rapport, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Teimour Radjabov, Alexander Grischuk, Parham Maghsoodloo, and Vladislav Artemiev will also be a part of the 12-member list of Superstar men players for the second season.
Sameer Pathak, CEO of the Global Chess League, said, “We are delighted to announce the list of Superstar men players for the upcoming season. These elite players are poised to deliver thrilling and unforgettable games for their teams in the league’s innovative format that incentivizes risk-taking. We are confident that these players will deliver a remarkable chess spectacle in London.”
The first-of-its-kind franchise-based league features a total of six teams consisting of six players – one Icon player, two Superstar male players, two Superstar female players, and one prodigy in each team. In the tournament, each team will play a total of 10 matches in a double round-robin format, with the winner of each match being decided in a best-of-six board scoring system.
The Global Chess League, a joint venture between FIDE and Tech Mahindra, today announced the list of women Superstars who will be competing in the second season scheduled from October 3rd to 12th at Friends House in London.
In the second season, the reigning FIDE World Champion, Ju Wenjun, will be making her debut. She will be joined by World No. 1, Hou Yifan, who is returning to the premier annual chess event, alongside Indian chess Superstars Koneru Humpy and Harika Dronavalli. The line-up also includes some of the biggest names in women’s chess, such as Kateryna Lagno, Gunina Valentina, Alexandra Kosteniuk, Tan Zhongyi, and Nurgyul Salimova.
In addition, the upcoming season of the Global Chess League will feature Vaishali Rambabu, the latest Indian woman to achieve Grandmaster rank, alongside her brother Praggnanandhaa. This makes them the first brother-sister duo to participate in the league. The roster of women Superstars also includes Alina Kashlinskaya, the 2019 European Women’s Individual Chess Champion, and Bibisara Assaubayeva, former World Blitz Champion.
World Chess Champion Ju Wenjun, said, “I followed the first season of the Global Chess League and it was very exciting to watch the unique format. The tremendous response from fans and the chess fraternity made it even more special. I am eagerly looking forward to the second season in London, where I can once again immerse myself in this wonderful experience.”
Making her debut in the second season, Grandmaster Vaishali R, added, “The world of chess has long sought a worldwide sports event that places male and female players on the same pedestal. The Global Chess League is bridging this gap and truly bringing chess as a visual spectacle to television screens across the world. I am delighted to be a part of the league this year and am looking forward to competing in front of fans in London.”
Sameer Pathak,CEO, Global Chess League, said, “The roster of women Superstars in the Global Chess League is truly exciting. These champion players will deliver intense and inspiring games for their teams. Our unique format, which brings together men, women, and prodigy players on the same teams, is a game-changer in professional sports. We are confident that the fans will be captivated by the intense matches in the second season.”
Adding to the excitement, the unique joint team format of the league will be aired on major OTT and broadcast platforms worldwide, heightening the anticipation among fans.