The East Kanto Sunrisers successfully defended their Japan Premier League crown, winning the final by 79 runs against the Kansai Chargers at SICG.

Needing a big victory in the final round robin match and the other morning match to go their way to avoid a last-place finish, Mitchell Jamieson delivered for the Sunrisers, belting 84* from just 33 balls in morning action against the South Kanto Super Kings. 

In a reduced match of 11-overs per side, a total of 179 for five proved far too much for the Super Kings, who could only manage 114 for six in reply, meaning a 65-run win for the Sunrisers.

That means that with a Chargers win over West Kanto Hurricanes on SICG One, the Sunrisers finished second on Net Run Rate and it was Jamieson again who stepped up in the final, making a calm half-century in slow batting conditions and taking five catches against the Chargers as the Sunrisers lifted the trophy.

The defending champions made 139 in the first innings, and the dismissal of Jack Wood, taken by Jamieson in the deep, began the rot as the Chargers fell for just 60.

Kansai’s counter came through wicket-keeper/batter Alex Shirai-Patmore (19), though the Sunrisers strangled their opponents first with the pace of Shoma Slater (two for seven), before a spate of wickets through spin.

Ibrahim Takahashi was at his best with the ball, finishing with two for 17 with his off-spin alongside the impressive Ben Ito-Davis, (one for 17) and Sanam Luitel who sped up the inevitable victory with a three-wicket haul.

It means the Sunrisers have now had seven successive years in the top two and this victory takes them past the South Kanto Super Kings and onto four titles. The skipper Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming played his part on the final day, making 45 (30) in the final and 53 (22) in the final round robin to stamp his mark on the tournament.

It was a batting blitz SICG One in the morning, with Josh Brown’s emphatic century for the Hurricanes outdone by Kansai’s Jack Wood as the Chargers chased down 171 with nine wickets and five balls to spare in a contest for the ages.

Wood belted 127* off just 67 balls to complete the chase on the first ball of the final over, to deny the Hurricanes an appearance in the afternoon final. The knock is the highest individual score in the tournament’s history, usurping Brown’s effort in 2024.

In the third-place play-off, the Hurricanes found an unlikely hero with the ball in wicket-keeper Wataru Miyauchi, who took bowling responsibilities into his own hands, claiming Four wickets for just six runs to bowl North Kanto Lions out for just 77 in a 37-run win.

Left-hander Jake Kusuda-Nairn had earlier resurrected West Kanto’s innings, making 42 (35) from No.9 to take the team from 44 for seven to 114 all out.

The individual accolades were handed out in the post-tournament presentation as follows:

• Best U23 Player: Charlie Hara-Hinze (83 runs, 5 wickets)
• Best Batter: Jack Wood (159 runs)
• Best Bowler: Abdul Samad (8 wickets)
• MVP: Mitchell Jamieson (156 runs and 7 catches)

Highlights: 

• Chargers vs Hurricanes
• Final: Chargers vs Sunrisers

Match Summaries: 

• West Kanto Hurricanes, 170/3 (Brown 103, L.Yamamoto-Lake 32), lost to Kansai Chargers, 174/1 (Wood 127*) by 9 wickets
• East Kanto Sunrisers, 179/5 (Jamieson 84*, K.Kadowaki-Fleming 53, Anand 33, Parmar 4/26) beat South Kanto Super Kings, 114/6) by 65 runs)
• Final: Kansai Chargers, 60/10 (Luitel 3/5), lost to East Kanto Sunrisers, 139/6 (K.Kadowaki-Fleming 45, Jamieson 51) by 79 runs
• 3rd Place: West Kanto Hurricanes, 114/10 (Kusuda-Nairn 42, Ayukai 3/18) beat North Kanto Lions, 77/10 (Miyauchi 4/6) by 37 runs