Legends League 2022 | Ross Taylor bludgeons Kings as India Capitals crowned champions

Ross Taylor and Mitchell Johnson in final

India Capitals upheld their table-topping campaign this season by trashing Bhilwara Kings in the final. Ross Taylor and Mitchell Johnson were the chief architects of Capitals’ one-sided win, as the Antipodean duo consigned the Kings to a heavy 104-run defeat.

Legends League Cricket 2022: India Capitals triumphs in title clash

Reduced to 21-4 within the powerplay on a final, India Capitals elevated themselves to a 104-run win against the listless Kings in Jaipur.

Losing the toss and being asked to bat first, each of their top four batters, including captain Gautam Gambhir, fell inside the double digits. Trans-Tasman rivals Ross Taylor and Mitchell Johnson later added 126 runs in the subsequent 10 overs, as the two hammered breakneck half-centuries in the innings.

Taylor’s 41-ball 82 and Johnson’s 35-ball 62 was backed by Ashley Nurse’ finishing touches in the death overs, where he whacked 42 from just 19 deliveries.

Kings’ Rahul Sharma was the pick of the bowlers, as the Indian spinner picked four wickets off his four overs. Rest of the bowling line-up crumbled on the big day as Capitals slammed 211-7.

The run-chase never took off for the Kings as they kept losing wickets without any notable contribution in the middle. Shane Watson and Jesal Karia were the only ones in the innings to cross 20s as seven of their batters succumbed to single digit scores.

Johnson backed his sparkling fifty with a wicket and a runout. Pankaj Singh, Pawan Suyal and senior horseman Pravin Tambe all claimed two wickets each to earn Capitals a much-deserved title in the final.

Brief scores:

India Capitals: 211-7 (20)

Ross Taylor 82 (41), Mitchell Johnson 62 (35)

Rahul Sharma 4-30, Monty Panesar 2-13

Bhilwara Kings: 107 (18.2)

Shane Watson 27 (19), Jesal Karia 22 (17)

Pankaj Singh 2-14, Pravin Tambe 2-19

India Capitals won by 104 runs

ALSO READ: Shane Watson explains why Cameron Green can't be a part of Australia's World Cup XI