Who won GT20? What happened in the 2024 Global T20 Canada final between Montreal Tigers and Toronto Nationals? | Sporting News India

The Toronto Nationals captained by Colin Munro made a remarkable comeback to win three playoff matches in a row, to become champions of the Global T20 (GT20) Canada 2024 season.

They beat table toppers and defending champions Montreal Tigers in the Final of the competition by 8 wickets, to secure their first championship.

With three wins and three losses, the Nationals had just about made the playoffs in fourth position, with 7 points. With luck and big-game players stepping up at the right time, they were able cruise to victory and lift the trophy.

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GT20 Canada 2024 Final: Toronto Nationals beat Montreal Tigers by 8 wickets

After winning the toss in the Final, Toronto Nationals Colin Munro opted to bowl first, given the threat of rain at the venue.

It turned out to be the right decision as the Toronto bowlers were able to take advantage of the favourable bowling conditions early on, while the Montreal batters were noticeably struggling.

Pacers Jason Behrendoff, Romario Shepherd, and Junaid Siddique had reduced the opposition down to 5 wickets for just 28 runs, inside the powerplay.

Behrendoff who ended with stunning figures of 3/8 in his 4 overs, who was later adjudged as the Player of the Match, picked up the key wickets of experienced campaigners Chris Lynn and Tim Seifert, who were dismissed for single figures.

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Each of the six Toronto bowlers picked up at least one wicket each. The top scorer for the Montreal Tigers in the first innings was Corbin Bosch, who scored 35 runs, as the team finished with 96/9 at the end of 20 overs.

Chasing a target of 97, the Nationals lost their captain Munro early for a two-ball duck, with Azmatullah Omarzai picking up the wicket. Wicketkeeper Unmukt Chand followed his skipper back to the dugout after being bowled by Bosch, for just 4 runs.

With 85 runs required off the remaining 108 balls, USA international Andries Gous’s unbeaten half century (58*), along with South Africa international Rassie Van der Dussen (30*) put together a strong partnership to guide their team to an eight-wicket win, as they finished at 97/2 in 15 overs, at Brampton, Ontario.

How did the Toronto Nationals reach the GT20 Canada Final?

After securing the fourth spot in the points table at the conclusion of the league stages, the Toronto Nationals was scheduled to play the Eliminator match against Bangla Tigers, in which the loser would be eliminated, while the winner would get an opportunity to play the losers of the Qualifier 1 match.

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They won the Eliminator match due to a walk over decision and got an opportunity to play in the Qualifier 2 match against Brampton Wolves, whom they beat by 5 wickets, thanks of a Romario Shepherd’s four-fer in the first innings.

By winning the Qualifier 2 match, they were able to qualify for the Final of the GT20 Canada 2024 Final, where they faced the defending champions Montreal Tigers, whom they ended up beating by 8 wickets, to become the champions.

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