With eight wins from nine matches, India had gone into the final as favourites and lived up to it with a comprehensive victory. For Pakistan, it was their first loss in the tournament. The victory today was also a sweet revenge for the Indians, who had lost to Pakistan in the league stage of the current edition.

Odisha players Mohammad Jaffar Iqbal and Sukhram Majhi were members of the 17-member Indian team and both made notable contributions in the title triumph. Iqbal picked up two wickets in the final match.

Defending champions India crushed New Zealand by nine wickets in one of their league matches win at KIIT University Cricket Stadium here on February 7. Sukhram Majhi, Mohammad Jafar Iqbal and captain Ajay Kumar Reddy put up impressive performance in this match.

Jafar took two wickets as India restricted New Zealand to 136 for six in the stipulated 20 overs. India then rode on unbeaten half-centuries by Ajay and Sukhram to overhaul the target in nine overs. Sukhram, who also did a nice job as wicketkeeper, was adjudged the man of the match.

Kalinga Institute of Industrial Training (KIIT), under the stewardship of its founder Dr Achyuta Samanta, played commendable role, in making the match, the first of its kind in Odisha, truly a memorable event. Dr Samant also announced a scholarship for Sukhram Majhi. Altogether 10 countries participated in this tournament. The champion country received a cash prize of Rs 20 lakh and the runners-up nation Rs 15 lakh.

INDIA RESULTS:
Jan 30 (IIT Ground, Delhi): India 279/5 in 20 overs (Ketan Patel 98, J Prakash 96, D Venkateswar Rao 35) beat Bangladesh 150/7 in 20 overs (Mohammed Joy 31, Mohammed Malek 29, Mohammed Hassan 26; Malik 2/20) by 129 runs.

Jan 31 (Nahar Singh Stadium, Faridabad): India 305/5 in 20 over (Sunil 113*, D Malik 80, A Beig 25, GB Mundakar 23) beat West Indies 163/5 in 20 overs (DD Shim 40, K Douglas 27*) by 142 runs.

Feb 1 (Feroz Shah Kotla Ground, Delhi): India 204/5 in 20 overs (J Prakash 90, D Venkateswara Rao 53, Ketan Patel 20) lost to Pakistan 205/3 in 15.3 overs (Mohammad Jafar 88*, Nissar Ali 45, Israr Hassan 21*) by 7 wkts.

Feb 2 (Holkar Stadium, Indore): England 158/10 in 19.4 overs (E Hossell 57, J Hollingsworth 24; Ketan Patel 2/40, M Jafar Iqbal 1/10) lost to India 159/0 in 11 overs (G Mundakar 78*, Sukhram Majhi 67*) by 10 wkts.

Feb 3 (Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai): South Africa 157/8 in 20 overs (D Landry 42*; Mundakar 2/14) lost to India 158/1 in 13.5 overs (M Farhan 59*, Jafar Iqbal 54*) by 9 wkts.

Feb 4 (Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad): Sri Lanka 186/8 in 20 overs (C Deshapriya 62, PS Kumara 30, S Sampath 22; Sunil R 3/30, Ajay Kumar Reddy 2/24) lost to India 187/1 in 13.3 overs (Prakash Jayaramaiah 99*, Ketan Patel 56*) by 9 wkts.

Feb 5 (RSET Ground, Ernakulam): India 272/0 in 20 overs (Sunil R 163*, Md Farhan 53 rtd hrt, Md Jafar Iqbal 30*) beat Australia 144/10 in 18.3 overs (D Pritchard 32, M Cameron 27; Ajay Kumar Reddy 2/11, Md Jafar Iqbal 1/20) by 128 runs.

Feb 7 (At KIIT Stadium, Bhubaneswar): New Zealand 136/6 in 20 overs (Bret Wilson 52*; Md Jafar Iqbal 2/19) lost to India 140/1 in 9 overs (Ajay Reddy 75*, Sukhram Majhi 56*) by 9 wkts. MoM: Sukhram Majhi.

Feb 8 (ACA Stadium, Mulapadu): India 289/1 in 20 overs (Ajay Reddy 109 rtd hrt, DV Rao 82*, D Rao Tompaki 53 rtd hrt) beat Nepal 137/5 in 20 overs (R Beniya 35, P Badaila 28, B Rana 24*; J Iqbal 1/42) by 152 runs.

Feb 10 (SF, LB Stadium, Hyderabad): Sri Lanka 174/10 in 19.2 overs (Suranga Sampath 49, Chandana Deshapriya 42; Sunil 2/21, Ranbir Panwar 2/29) lost to India 175/0 in 13 overs ( Prakash Jayaramaiah 115*, Ajay Reddy 51*) by 10 wkts.

Feb 12 (Final, Bangalore): Pakistan 197/9 in 20 overs (Badar Munir 57; Ketan Patel 2/29, Jafar Iqbal 2/33) lost to India 200/1 in 17.4 overs (Prakash Jayaramaiah 99*, Ajay Kumar Reddy 43, Ketan Patel 26 rtd hrt) by 9 wkts.
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TOP: Members of Indian team celebrate their successive title triumph in Bangalore on Feb 12, 2017.
RIGHT: India captain Ajay Reddy and Odisha star Sukhram Majhi (Right) celebrate after guiding India to thumping win against New Zealand in Bhubaneswar on February 7, 2017.