6
6
2
1
1
0
= 16
Match Details
TR vs TT, 1st Semi Final T20, KCL T20 2026 summary
TT
167-9(19.5)
Thrissur Titans won by 1 wicket 🏆
TR
(20.0)163-5
+
P'ship : 18(5)
Commentary
All
Highlights
Overs
W
6s
4s
Inn 1
Inn 2
Milestone
Right, that's it for now. This is Rajarshi Das, signing off on behalf of my co-commentator, Dev Rajawat, and scorer/analyst, Sachin Yadav. See you soon!
That is all we have for you from this humdinger of a 1st semi-final in the 2026 Kerala Cricket League. The Thrissur Titans book a place in the final in the most dramatic fashion possible, and to find out who they'll play in the summit clash, they will have an eye on the second semi-final between Alleppey Ripples and the Calicut Globstars, which begins in a few moments. Switch tabs to follow Crex's live coverage of the same, and keep following us for a whole lot more!
We've had a game worthy of a semi-final, and Thrissur Titans will be absolutely buoyant going into the summit clash. They were down; they had reason to believe they were out of it, but they didn't. Not when they lost two quick wickets early on, not when they lost Imran Ahammed and Nikhil Thottath in quick succession, not even when MS Akhil, who was striking the ball so well, holed out with 15 needed off six. Anand Joseph, who had a memorable day with the ball earlier today, had an even more memorable day with the bat - one that he'll tell his grandchildren about in future. The 16 most important runs of his career came off three deliveries, and made a difference of epic proportions in the end. Cricket tends to amaze one and all every once in a while, and it sure did today.
MS Akhil (Thrissur Titans Captain): (On the team's dramatic win and the support from the fans) "Thank you. First of all, I would like to thank all the supporters and friends. Would like to thank all of you for coming here to watch the match.
(On chasing down 164 in the semi-final)The chase was about to happen like this, but we were in the match. After Imran's wicket, it was a little bit tight in that situation. But as we are capable of hitting sixes, including the last batter, I was confident. Anand hit really well in the end. I'm very happy for him.
(On the importance of the spinners) Yeah, they are doing really well, especially Biju, and he is doing very well. Also, Anand is supporting him very well. So, it's very good for us.
(On reaching his first KPL final) Yeah, I'm really happy. First of all, I'm really happy, and I would like to thank the management for giving me such an opportunity to lead this wonderful team. So, I'm really excited to be part of this tournament."
(On chasing down 164 in the semi-final)The chase was about to happen like this, but we were in the match. After Imran's wicket, it was a little bit tight in that situation. But as we are capable of hitting sixes, including the last batter, I was confident. Anand hit really well in the end. I'm very happy for him.
(On the importance of the spinners) Yeah, they are doing really well, especially Biju, and he is doing very well. Also, Anand is supporting him very well. So, it's very good for us.
(On reaching his first KPL final) Yeah, I'm really happy. First of all, I'm really happy, and I would like to thank the management for giving me such an opportunity to lead this wonderful team. So, I'm really excited to be part of this tournament."
PLAYER OF THE MATCH: ANAND JOSEPH
Maximum Sixes in the Match Award: MS Akhil
Maximum Fours in the Match Award: Akshay Manohar
Catch of the Match Award: Nikhil Thottath
Time for the Post-Match Presentations....
6:08 PM IST, Local Time: Absolute bedlam in the Thrissur Titans camp - they have just snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, and will head into the final of the 2026 Kerala Cricket League! Anand Joseph, who had a total of six runs with the bat in the KCL going into today's game, came in with 15 needed off the final over, got the strike two balls in, went six, four, six, hitting with and against the angle, and pulled off a heist, to say the least! This will take quite some time to sink in for all the parties involved directly with this game - there were ebbs, flows, and a completely unexpected finish to it!
Having opted to bat earlier today, the Trivandrum Royals couldn't make good use of the powerplay. Anand Joseph and Sarath Chandra Prasad bowled 3-over spells each, getting the ball to nip around and skid through at times. Anand Joseph turned out to be the better of the two - he accounted for Vishnu Vinod and Krishna Prasad in his first spell. Abhishek Nair was the only one who got going in it, scoring 28 out of the 45 runs in the first six overs. Nair, too, departed shortly after the powerplay, holing out to Biju Narayanan's left-arm spin. Govind Pai and Sijomon Joseph then looked to consolidate as the middle overs drew on.
Neither Pai nor Joseph were able to bat till the end - Pai departed for 18 off 21, done by a clever piece of bowling from MS Akhil, while Sijomon Joseph looked to take on Narayanan in the 15th over, got the timing all wrong and holed out at deep mid-wicket. Akshay Manohar, who came in after Pai departed, got off to a decent start and began finding the boundaries as the death overs drew close. Nikhil M joined in on the act, and the duo went on to accumulate 58 runs off the last four overs with some brutal hitting, taking the Royals to 163 in their allotted 20 overs.
The Titans teed off in the powerplay itself, with Rohith KR leading the way. He went six, four, four in the second over, before being run out trying to take a very risky single. Rahul Chandran, brought on as the impact sub, struck in the third over, getting Vishnu Raj to drive towards Pai at point. Shoun Roger joined Imran Ahammed, and the duo went on to do a little better than just steadying the ship - they helped the Titans strongly finish the powerplay, and while Roger was dismissed in the 9th over, Ahammed kept going, taking the Titans to a commanding position alongside Nikhil Thottath.
The Royals were in dire need to break the stand to get back in the game, and Vinod Kumar did just that, getting Ahammed to nick behind. The Titans suffered another jolt shortly after as Nikhil Thottath departed, but then, skipper MS Akhil decided to take matters in his own hands. With the required rate nearing 12 with four overs remaining, Akhil cleared the boundary twice, helping take 16 off the 17th over. Rahul Chandran and Nikhil M, however, all but closed the game out in the next two overs, picking up two wickets among themselves.
When MS Akhil, the Titans skipper, departed off the last ball of the penultimate over with 15 to get, the Trivandrum Royals had every reason to believe they had a foot in the final. Anand Joseph, however, came in and absolutely shattered all such hopes with the finest ball-striking you'll ever see from a number 11 in all T20 cricket, in such a dire situation at that! Rahul Chandran, who bowled so well throughout the game, had no idea what hit him and his side as Joseph finished the game off with one ball to spare. What a game, what a finish! Stay tuned - we'll be back with the presentation ceremony shortly!
Having opted to bat earlier today, the Trivandrum Royals couldn't make good use of the powerplay. Anand Joseph and Sarath Chandra Prasad bowled 3-over spells each, getting the ball to nip around and skid through at times. Anand Joseph turned out to be the better of the two - he accounted for Vishnu Vinod and Krishna Prasad in his first spell. Abhishek Nair was the only one who got going in it, scoring 28 out of the 45 runs in the first six overs. Nair, too, departed shortly after the powerplay, holing out to Biju Narayanan's left-arm spin. Govind Pai and Sijomon Joseph then looked to consolidate as the middle overs drew on.
Neither Pai nor Joseph were able to bat till the end - Pai departed for 18 off 21, done by a clever piece of bowling from MS Akhil, while Sijomon Joseph looked to take on Narayanan in the 15th over, got the timing all wrong and holed out at deep mid-wicket. Akshay Manohar, who came in after Pai departed, got off to a decent start and began finding the boundaries as the death overs drew close. Nikhil M joined in on the act, and the duo went on to accumulate 58 runs off the last four overs with some brutal hitting, taking the Royals to 163 in their allotted 20 overs.
The Titans teed off in the powerplay itself, with Rohith KR leading the way. He went six, four, four in the second over, before being run out trying to take a very risky single. Rahul Chandran, brought on as the impact sub, struck in the third over, getting Vishnu Raj to drive towards Pai at point. Shoun Roger joined Imran Ahammed, and the duo went on to do a little better than just steadying the ship - they helped the Titans strongly finish the powerplay, and while Roger was dismissed in the 9th over, Ahammed kept going, taking the Titans to a commanding position alongside Nikhil Thottath.
The Royals were in dire need to break the stand to get back in the game, and Vinod Kumar did just that, getting Ahammed to nick behind. The Titans suffered another jolt shortly after as Nikhil Thottath departed, but then, skipper MS Akhil decided to take matters in his own hands. With the required rate nearing 12 with four overs remaining, Akhil cleared the boundary twice, helping take 16 off the 17th over. Rahul Chandran and Nikhil M, however, all but closed the game out in the next two overs, picking up two wickets among themselves.
When MS Akhil, the Titans skipper, departed off the last ball of the penultimate over with 15 to get, the Trivandrum Royals had every reason to believe they had a foot in the final. Anand Joseph, however, came in and absolutely shattered all such hopes with the finest ball-striking you'll ever see from a number 11 in all T20 cricket, in such a dire situation at that! Rahul Chandran, who bowled so well throughout the game, had no idea what hit him and his side as Joseph finished the game off with one ball to spare. What a game, what a finish! Stay tuned - we'll be back with the presentation ceremony shortly!
Commentary