DPWorldILT20 Development Tournament champions.

KUWAIT CITY, Sept 16: The grand finale of the DPWorldILT20 Development Tournament Kuwait 2025 delivered a spectacle worthy of history, as the Boubyan Warriors were crowned the first-ever champions, defeating the Failaika Guardians by 5 wickets in a high-scoring thriller.

Batting first, the Guardians set a daunting target of 204/6 in 20 overs, thanks to a blistering middle-order display. Sandaruwan Chinthaka (56 off 33, 6 sixes) and Manjula Prasan (38 off 19) tore into the Warriors’ bowling, while Shiraz Khan (24 off 10)* and Parvinder Kumar (13 off 4) provided the late fireworks.

Despite early breakthroughs from Nimesh and Vishal, the Warriors' bowlers struggled to contain the Guardians’ assault. In reply, the Warriors came out with intent. Skipper Mohamed Aslam (53 off 34) led from the front, supported by Bilal Tahir (32 off 19) and Mathan Kumar (24 off 17) to keep the chase alive.

The defining moment came from vice-captain Nimish Latheif, who played a sensational unbeaten knock of 57 off just 26 balls at a strike rate of 219, guiding his side to 205/5 in 19.3 overs and sealing the championship in style.

The grand presentation ceremony, hosted by Harman Sahni, was graced by dignitaries including Haider Farman (President KCC), Zayed Abbas (ECB Board Member), Mahmoud Abdullah, Essa Bahman, Patrick Brown, Asad Khan, Ashley Dsouza, and Sajid Ashraf.

Individual awards capped off the celebrations: Meet Bhavsar (399 runs, 8 wickets) bagged both Best Batter and Best All-Rounder; Aqif (14 wickets) won Best Bowler; and *Nimish Latheif’s match-winning 57 earned him Player of the Final. The Boubyan Warriors etched their name in history as the inaugural champions of the tournament.