Guyana Amazon Warriors Break Trophy Drought to Clinch CPL Title; Emotional Imaran Tahir Reacts
Finally, the Guyana Amazon Warriors have won a championship after a long and difficult journey. They had made the playoffs ten times before this, but never won the title.
The Guyana Amazon Warriors ended their trophy drought on Sunday, September 24, when they defeated the Trinbago Knight Riders in a thrilling final match in Guyana to win the elusive Caribbean Premier League (CPL).
As he and captain Imran Tahir led the charge onto the pitch, Pakistan's Saim Ayub struck a stunning straight six to seal the victory for Guyana and set the stage for joyous celebrations.
Guyana finished first in the points table following an amazing round-robin round in which they dominated the standings with eight wins and just one loss. The Warriors, who the cricket fans playfully dubbed "chokers," were the centre of attention during the knockout stage.
Guyana has lost the championship game five times in the past, making it difficult for them to win the coveted trophy. But on this occasion, the Warriors dominated the entire match, even going into the playoffs, and they won out in the end.
The result of the final match was clear from the off, with Guyana demonstrating their might throughout. The Warriors bowled brilliantly, limiting the potent TKR batting order to just 94 runs in 18.1 overs after winning the toss and electing to field first. In response, the hosts won with nine wickets remaining after easily reaching the mark in just 14 overs.
Imran Tahir, the captain of the Guyana Warriors, thanked everyone who had questioned him and his group, utilising their cynicism as fuel to help his team win their first-ever CPL championship in the eleventh season.
CHAMPIONS 🏆🇬🇾 #CPL23 #CPLFinal #TKRVGAW#CricketPlayedLouder #BiggestPartyInSport pic.twitter.com/nw14FsI2bA
— CPL T20 (@CPL) September 25, 2023
Tahir was named the team's captain for the upcoming season. Tahir has been with the team since 2018 and has lost two finals in his career. The Warriors were remarkably consistent under his direction, dropping just one game en route to winning the championship.
"Very lovely (emotion). It was a pleasure to play for this lovely franchise and the supporters who never stop believing in us. Jokes about me being captain were being sent by everyone. I want to thank those people because they truly inspired me. Many thanks to Prasanna, our analyzer. He put in over twenty hours a day to provide us with plans. Wish to thank R Ashwin from India as well. We shall win, he declared. "We appreciate our owners making sure we have everything we need," Tahir remarked during the post-game ceremony.
Following colleague Dwaine Pretorius, Tahir finished the season with 18 wickets in 13 games at an excellent average of 15.44 and an economy rate of 6.22, making him the second-highest wicket-taker.
The top two scorers in the league, Shai Hope and Saim Ayub, were also on the Warriors; the former also won Player of the Series.