Sunrisers Hyderabad won IPL 2016

In their first IPL Final, Sunrisers Hyderabad showed their intent early by opting to bat against Royal Challengers Bangalore at a venue where tall scores have been chased down nonchalantly. It was their bowling line up, the best in the tournament that delivered the maiden IPL title with an eight run win over the hosts. Ben Cutting lent the finishing touches with an unbeaten 15 ball 39 to help them post 208 for 7.

RCB had breached the 200 mark thrice previously at home this season and there was no reason why they could not do so again, except the pressure of chasing in a final. Gayle alone contributed 76, with four fours and eight sixes. Sunrisers attack was under pressure early on, but they clinically applied the brakes after Gayle wicket. Shane Watson rare off day with the bowl was costly for RCB. He fed the batsmen an assortment of hittable deliveries.

Gayle, Kohli, and de Villiers fell in the space of 20 deliveries as RCB slipped to 148 for 3. They needed 61 off 37 and they needed Watson to make up for his lapses with the ball. There were promising signs when he swatted Henriques for six over long-on, but his dismissal in the 17^th over immediately after KL Rahul wicket, left the hosts in a position they could not recover from.

Orange Cap for most runs was given to Virat Kohli for his 973 runs in the tournament. Purple Cap for most wickets was given to B Kumar for his 23 wickets in the tournament. Virat Kohli also won Man of the Tournament award. Sunrisers Hyderabad won their maiden IPL title.

West Indies Women won Maiden WT20 title

Two sides that are known to play aggressive faced off in what promised to be a thrilling finale. Australia threw the early punches, West Indies then counter punched in the chase as the might of their explosive batting line-up resurfaced their maiden entry into the Women World T20 final ending in a blaze of glory at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

West Indies were run ragged in the first half as half-centuries from Elyse Villani and Meg Lanning helped Australia post an imposing 148 for 5. Enter Hayley Mathews and Stafanie Taylor and a daunting chase was clinically brought into the realms of possibility courtesy an opening stand of 120 in 15.4 overs. Once within striking distance, Taylor and Dottin brought all their experience to the fore by seeing off the highest successful chase in Women T20 history with three balls to spare.

Something about the last overs of their bowling stint, off which they conceded just one run, fired West Indies. Despite having the momentum with them, it was going to be a mountain to climb. For the first three overs of their chase, Australia had a lid on the runs, having conceded just eight. Then they relaxed, only to see Mathews unfurl boundary after boundary to leave Australia ducking for cover.

Halfway through the chase, Lanning called her team into a huddle in a bid to regroup. But that was to no avail. The wicket of Mathews, who miscued a pull off Kristen Beams to midwicket with West Indies 29 off 26 balls, came as relief, more than joy. That allowed Dottin, who had an off day with ball, a shot at redemption, which she gleefully accepted as West Indies celebrated a historic triumph in style.