DLR COUNTY CLAIM RUSSELL COURT TROPHY IN NAIL-BITER! (AUGUST 22ND)

12 months on from having lost out by the barest of all margins in the same cup final, DLR County claimed the ED Sports Russell Court Trophy for 2026, beating Railway Union by just 2 runs in a truly nail-biting finish.

Having won the toss, DLR elected to bat first, and they were off to a modest start, each of the first five making double figures, however four of them out between 10 and 14, whilst Gagan Ramu appeared to be ready to launch before he fell for a run-a-ball 23, a strong stand from Taranpreet Singh saw him claiming 3/24, and keeping Railway in touching distance.

From 97/4 with five overs to go, skipper Chriaag Arora and Amit Prasad accelerated the game massively, with their unbroken stand of 54 from that spell ultimately proving crucial, as they made their way to 151/5 in their 20 overs, the pair finishing on 31 and 24 respectively.

DLR were in ecstasy early on, as they reduced Railway to 21/2 after the first three overs, however a good stand between the man who had starred with the ball, Singh and Mehral Aboobacker kept things on track. Disaster struck just as they looked to press the accelerator, as Singh nicked off for 36, the first of two wickets for Amit Prasad.

Aboobacker and Nripendra Singh rebuilt, however they again lost a wicket at the most crucial stage of the innings, leaving an uphill task of 31 off the final three overs. The 18th went for just five, and with 26 needed off two, the game looked set for DLR.

They didn't reckon on Singh blasting 16 off that second last over, and suddenly the game was on again. He was, however, stranded at the non-strikers end to begin the last, and had to agonisingly watch on as two wickets fell in the first three balls before he was eventually back on strike. A two was followed by another attempted two, however a run out meant DLR County were two run winners.

Congratulations to DLR County on claiming the ED Sports Russell Court Trophy for the 2026 season, a brilliant achievement for all players, coaches, officials and supporters associated with the team!