DSL has its first champion in SL Lions

THE big deluge which hit Dunedin over the new year may have dealt a partial blow to the inaugural Dunedin Super

League (DSL), but in the end it was played last weekend.

The league was the initiative of a few cricket tragics and was an eightaside, 15overs per team format. The powerplay was during the first four overs and a bowler could deliver a maximum of three overs.

The league was to have been played on January 2 at

Sunnyvale, but with heavy rain falling in Dunedin it was put off to a later date.

That date came on Sunday at Sunnyvale, when eight sides played out a series of games. The winners were the SL Lions, who beat the HG Super Chunkz by two wickets. The side needed eight runs off the final over and reached the target with two balls to spare.

The DSL had sponsors, prize money and a snazzy logo. The Lions received $1501 for winning the final, while the beaten finalist picked up $751 for its efforts.

Organiser Binu Antony previously said entries had been limited to eight teams so the tournament could be played in one day.

All eight spots were filled, half from Dunedin and the rest of the teams from further afield.

The format was straight knockout, so the winning team needed to win three games in a row.

Antony said the tournament had been planned for last season but they were new to organising events and could not get the funding in place.

The motivation had been to bring the Indian community together and play some cricket during the Christmas break.

But the organisers had ambitions and for next year’s event they were looking to get in more teams from all round the South Island and even further afield.

There is a suggestion of an IPLstyle player auction, using virtual money and giving the players a higher profile.