Toronto Nationals secure final spot in GT20 League amid controversy over washed-out eliminator

cricnepal Staff

August 11, 2024, 2 min read

In a surprising twist, the Toronto Nationals have secured a spot in the final of the 2024 Global T20 League Canada. They were supposed to be knocked out after the eliminator match was washed out due to the rain.

Nepal captain Rohit Paudel is a member of the Toronto Nationals. Toronto secured their spot in the final by defeating the Brampton Wolves by five wickets in Qualifier 2. However, Rohit Paudel did not feature in the playing XI for that match.

Invited to bat first, Brampton made 141/8 in the allotted 20 overs. Toronto easily chased the target in 18.2 overs, losing only five wickets. Romario Shepherd was the star for them picking up four wickets.

Toronto will now face the Montreal Tigers in the final. Montreal reached the final after Qualifier 1 was washed out due to rain. The eliminator match between Bangla Tigers Mississauga and the Toronto Nationals was also rained out. As the third-place team and having beaten Toronto (4th) in the group stage, the Bangla Tigers should have advanced. However, Official GT20 announced Toronto as the winner in a social media post, with no explanation provided.

Reports suggest that the umpires reduced the match to a one-over-a-side to determine a winner, but the weather prevented the Super Over, leading to the match’s cancellation. Notably, many tournaments use a Super Over to decide playoff matches when rain disrupts regulation play.

Bangla Tigers skipper Shakib Al Hasan allegedly refused to participate in the Super Over, as a washout would have advanced his team to Qualifier 2 due to their higher league position. Following his refusal, GT20 Canada announced that Toronto would automatically qualify for Qualifier 2. The posts were reportedly deleted later.