National Champions Cup points table after Greens and Gold qualify for the final- IPL

National Champions Cup points table after Greens and Gold qualify for the final Pakistan Greens and Pakistan Gold took contrasting routes to the National Champions Cup final, but they reached it alright. Greens, led by Shadab Khan, ended the first stage at the top of the table and unbeaten, winning all three of their games. Gold, meanwhile, have only one win to their name and had it not been for their superior Net Run Rate, they would have missed out on qualification altogether.

Gold’s unlikely route to the final

Their only win came against Pakistan Whites in their final fixture, having started out losing two in as many games. Sending Whites in to bat first after calling it right at the toss, Gold bowlers kept making regular inroads. The first four batters departed without crossing the 30-run mark. In fact, three of them could not even get past double figures.

The game was turned on its head by Hasan Nawaz, who notched up a 74-ball 55, keeping Whites steady despite the fall of wickets. But after Hasan, none of the other batters could capitalise on the momentum as Whites ended up setting a 173-run target for Gold. Gold captain Shaheen Shah Afridi led from the front, taking three wickets, including that of Hasan Nawaz.

Gold chase down the target with ease

Whites’ bowlers knew they had a tough ask defending 173 against Gold. They did get off to a decent start, dismissing three batters within the first ten overs. Kamran Ghulam and Saad Khan then began a recovery. Ghulam paired with Mohammad Akhlaq and stitched a 43-run partnership, with the bulk of the scoring done by Ghulam. Following their dismissals, the baton was handed to Saad Khan and Haider Ali. The 86-run partnership meant that whatever survival chances Whites had had diminished into thin air.

Gold eventually won the game by five wickets with 132 balls remaining, which ensured their NRR was better than both Pakistan Whites and Pakistan Blues.