Afghanistan Premier League 2018, Final, Balkh Legends vs Kabul Zwanan: Live Score, Commentary, and Updates

That's it from our side for the final of the APL 2018. Hope you all enjoyed our coverage of the tournament. Let us meet again in our Live blog for the second ODI between India and West Indies which will take place in Vizag on October 24. Till then, this is Vignesh Ananthasubramanian signing off.

Balkh Legends are the winners of the inaugural APL. Take a bow, Mohammad Nabi and co.

That's it! Balkh Legends beat Kabul Zwanan by four wickets.

GOD! With four runs needed, Wayne Parnell dismisses Mohammad Nabi. They are just delaying the inevitable. A short delivery that gets the top-edge and the ball flew straight to the wicketkeeper Luke Romchi.

Mohammad Nabi c Ronchi b Parnell 6(5)

Kabul are just delaying the inevitable as Fareed takes a wicket and concedes just six runs off the 17th over.

Balkh 125/4 after 17 overs

Ikram Ali Khil's struggles come to an end as he was deceived by a slower delivery from Fareed Ahmed and ends up getting bowled.

Ikram Ali Khil b Fareed Ahmad 9(16)

Nasir Thotakil continues and he hardly troubles the batsmen as they take eight runs off his second over to bring the equation down to 14 runs off 24 balls.

Balk 119/4 after 16 overs

Even Rashid Khan wasn't spared as both Ravi Bopara and Ali Khil take seven runs off his final voer. Balkh are all but the inaugural APL champions.

Balkh 111/4 after 15 overs

In spite of the fall of Chris Gayle, the Balkh batsmen are milking some easy runs here. They just need 29 runs off 36 balls to win the final.

Balkh 104/4 in 14 overs

A successful over from Rashid. He conceded a six off the first ball and off the next five, he gave away just two runs. Eight off the 12th over.

Balkh 90/4 after 12 overs

Rashid Khan strikes! After conceding a six off the first ball, he forces Chris Gayle into a false shot as the southpaw failed to connect it and ended up offering Colin Ingram an easy catch at long-on.

Chris Gayle c Colin Ingram b Rashid Khan 56(34)

This is Gayle's four consecutive fifty in the tournament.

The pressure created by Rashid almost pays off as PArnell gets a top-edge of Chris Gayle but the fielder at short fine-leg makes a mess of it and drops the catch. Gayle makes Kabul pay as he hit a four and a six off the next two balls beofre bringing up his fifty to end the over.

Balkh 81/4 after 11 overs

Chris Gayle continues his Juggernaut as he continues to show intent against the bowlers. But, Rashid came back and applied brakes on the run rate as he concedes just three runs off his second over.

Balkh 67/3 after 10 overs

Finally, Chris Gayle is in the house. After playing out safely, Gayle decides to take on the bowlers as he hits Shahidullah for a boundary and a six off the over that saw his team take 14 runs off the eighth over.

Balkh 51/3 after 8 overs

Muslim Musa breaks the frustrating stand. HE angled it away from Tendo who tried to guide it to the third man fence but ended up offering Luke Ronchi a simple catch.

Ryan ten Doeschate c Ronchi b Muslim Musa 12(20)

Shahidullah comes into the attack and almost gets the wicket of Chris Gayle but his skipper Rashid Khan fails to hold on to a tough chance at long on. Still, just five runs were taken off it.

Balkh 30/2 after 6 overs

Fareed continues his good work as he concedes five runs off his second over including a boundary to Chris Gayle. Both the batsmen are playing cautiously here.

Balkh 25/2 after 5 overs

The champion leggie hardly took time to settle down as he gave away just five runs off his first over.

Balkh 20/2 after 4 overs

Rashid Khan into the attack

A tidy over from Parnell as he concedes just six runs including a boundary off his second over. Kabul are right on target from the word go.

Balkh 15/2 after 3 overs.

Fareed Ahmed complements Wayne Parnell's good work and gives away just three runs off his first over.

Balkh 9/2 in 2 overs

What an over! After conceding a boundary off the previous ball, Parnell gets through the defence of Darwish Rasooli and disturbs his woodwork. That was a lazy shot from the batsman. A great over to begin with.

Darwish Rasooli b Wayne Parnerll 4(2)
Balkh 6/2 after 1 over

An early wicket is what Kabul needed and they exactly get that! Facing his first ball of the match, Colin Munro tried to pull a short delivery and hits it to deep square leg where Colin Ingram completes the catch just inches off the ground.

Colin Munro c Colin Ingram b Wayne Parnell 0(1)

We are underway for the chase. Chris Gayle and Colin Munro open the batting for Balkh. Wayne Parnell to bowl the first over for Kabul.

Even though Balkh are chasing just 133, it could be tricky of they lose an early wicket. We are set for an interesting chase here. Let us catch up in 15 minutes for the run chase.

Kabul Zwanan end their innings at 132/9 in their 20 overs. After choosing to bat first, the Kabul batsmen were finding it difficult to score runs and at the same time, they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. The introduction of Qais Ahmed further derailed their innings as the teenager took five wickets for just 18 runs in his spell and brought things under control for Balkh. Javed Ahmedi's 32 helped his team post a respectable total on the board.

An outstanding final over from Mirwais Ashraf as he bowled six great deliveries and conceded just four runs off his final over.

Kabul 132/9 in 20 overs.

Ninth wicket down for Kabul. Mirwais Ashraf bowls a yorker but the batsman Fareed Ahmed converts it into a full toss, gets beaten and has his wood work shattered.

Fareed Ahmad b Mirwais 4(5)

Aftab Alam keeps things tight in the penultimate over as he concedes just six runs off it.

Kabul 128/8 after 19 overs

Qais Ahmed is turning it for Balkh here as he gets his fifth wicket. After hitting a boundary off the previous ball, Muslim Musa tried to hit Qais out of the park off his last ball and ended up getting a top-edge and offered the keeper a simple catch. With this, Qais finishes off his spell by conceding just five off his final over. Great stuff from the teenager.

Muslim Musa c Ikram Ali Khil b Qais Ahmad 4(4)
Kabul 122/8 after 18 overs

Curtains for Kabul as Rashid Khan tries to take on Qais but thanks to the flight Qais gave, Rashid couldn't time it properly and ends up offering the bowler a difficult catch which was made to look easy by him.

Rashid Khan c and b Qais Ahmad 3(4)

Mirwais Ashraf keeps up the pressure as he concedes just seven runs off the 17th over. Kabul should get three big overs here to post a respectable over.

Kabul 117/6 after 17 overs.

A fantastic over from Qais as he takes two wickets and concedes just two runs off his third over.

Kabul 110/6 after 16 overs.

Rashid Khan is the new batsman in. Can he turn it around for Kabul?

Qais is turning it for Balkh! At the same time, some poor brand of cricket from Kabul Zwanan. After losing Evans earlier in the over, Ahmedi, who was looking good, holes out to the Mirwais Ashraf at deep midwicket. Poor stuff from Zwanan.

Javed Ahmadi c Mirwais b Qais Ahmad 32(19)

OUCH! That was not needed at all. His team took 20 runs off the previous over and Laurie Evans just threw it away as he was stumped by Ikram Ali Khil off the bowling of Qais. He ran down the wicket, gets beaten on the dip, the ball spins past his bat and was stumped by Ikram.

Laurie Evans st Ikram Ali Khil b Qais Ahmad 14(15)

6 0 0 4 4 6 - A much-needed over for Kabul. Javed Ahmedi takes on Ravi Bopara and hits two fours and two sixes off his over and takes 20 runs off it.

Kabul 108/4 after 15 overs.

Qais Ahmed is showing why he is a special talent as he is stepping up his performance on the big day. He concedes just 4 runs off his second over.

Kabul 88/4 after 14 overs

After conceding 15 runs in his first over, Naib comes back into the attack, and again the Kabul batsmen tried attacking him and took eight runs from his over. These runs are like gold dust for them right now.

Kabul 84/4 after 13 overs.

Ravi Bopara keeps up the pressure on the Kabul batsmen as he is bowling tight lines and is hardly giving anything away for the batsmen. Just three off his second over.

Kabul 76/4 after 12 overs.

In spite of conceding a boundary to Laurie Evans, this is s brilliant first over from Qais as he concedes just seven runs and took a wicket off it.

Kabul 72/4 after 11 overs

That's pretty poor from Parnell. The first ball of Qais' spell and he tries a reverse-sweep just to end up getting bowled. Kabul in deep, deep trouble here.

Wayne Parnell b Qais Ahmed 21(25)

Leg-spinner Qais Ahmed comes into the attack

Brilliant over to begin with. He concedes just four runs and took the wicket of Ingram to put his team on top.

Kabul 65/3 after 10 overs

Commentator's curse? Ingram's luck ran out as he tried to whack the new bowler Ravi Bopara over the square leg and ends up offering Mirwais Ashraf a catch in the region. The fielder did well to catch it just inches above the ground.

Colin Ingram c Mirwais Ashraf b Ravi Bopara 21 (19)

Gulbadin Naib comes into the attack and this gives the Kabul batsmen some breather as they take 15 runs from the over, thanks to three boundaries (two down the ground and one through the fine leg) from Ingram. Ingram is having luck on his side as a throw from Aftab Alam misses the stumps by a narrow margin off the last ball. Had it hit the stumps on time, Ingram would have been dismissed by now.

Kabul 61/2 after 9 overs

Ingram saved by a whisker here. Mirwais bowls a yorker and Ingram just got his bat right on time to block the ball and watches it balloon over the stumps.

Kabul 46/2 after 8 overs

Nabi bowls his fourth over on the trot and finishes off with seven runs off his final over. A successful spell from the skipper comes to an an end.

Kabul 41/2 after 7 overs

Mirwais Ashraf comes into the attack and was on target right from ball one. He keeps things tight as he concedes just four runs in his first over.

Kabul 34/2 after 6 overs