Lad became the first captain to successfully defend the T20 Mumbai League Title. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Siddhesh Lad struggled to put his emotions into words. Moments after MSC Maratha Royals became the first team to successfully defend the T20 Mumbai title, the captain was dealing not just with the euphoria of victory but also the pain of a dislocated shoulder suffered during the tense final against ARCS Andheri at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday night.

“I can’t express in words what I am feeling right now because I am injured also,” Lad said. “Winning the first time was a special feeling. But the second time was not easy for us. Credit goes to all the boys, they worked really hard. To the fans, to our owners, they supported us with whatever we needed.

Lad believed the Royals’ ability to embrace pressure defined its campaign. Having scraped into the knockouts as the fourth-placed side, it won back-to-back knockout games to retain the crown.

“Whenever we were put under pressure, we reacted really well. If you see the Bandra game where we gave 18 runs and took 6 or 7 wickets, that’s where the belief came in everyone,” Lad said. “You have to have that champion’s mindset from day one. We had that mindset and that quality. It was just about delivering.”

Lad reserved special praise for icon player Tushar Deshpande, whose contributions extended far beyond his status as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker.

“A special mention to Tushar after coming from a big IPL season. He is someone who has given more than 100%. I think he is a find of the tournament in batting,” Lad said.

“We saw him hitting 100-metre sixes. Coming and delivering, giving his inputs to the young boys and sharing the dressing room with them — it’s a great platform and the youngsters get to learn a lot from a player like Tushar.”

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Deshpande, meanwhile, admitted that dismissing Shivam Dube proved decisive in the final. “Our spinners had been controlling games throughout the tournament. We had also kept my overs for Shivam. That match-up worked perfectly for us, and the match changed there,” Deshpande said.

The pacer’s wickets of opener Divyaansh Saxena and Dube swung the contest decisively in Royals’ favour, capping a tournament in which he starred with both bat and ball to help script a successful title defence.

Published on Jun 14, 2026