Ludhiana Lions captain Salil Arora has declared his squad fully prepared for the Amritsar Soormas ahead of the final of the inaugural Sher-e-Punjab T20 League, scheduled at the IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali, on Sunday, 14 September 2025. The Lions enter the summit clash on the back of a dominant semi-final display that has underlined their status as favourites.

Lions' semi-final momentum

Ludhiana Lions stormed into the final by defeating Jalandhar Warriors by 17 runs in the semi-final, with skipper Salil Arora delivering a stunning captain's knock of 120 off 56 balls. Pacer Sahil Bhaskar complemented that effort with the tournament's best bowling figures so far — 6 wickets for 16 runs — earning the Player of the Match award and taking his tournament tally to a leading 20 wickets.

Notably, the Lions had also beaten the Amritsar Soormas in their final league-stage encounter, with Arora top-scoring with 69 off 36 balls. Sahil Bhaskar, Kartik Chadha, and Krish Bhagat all claimed wickets in that victory, giving Ludhiana a psychological edge heading into Sunday's clash.

What Salil Arora said

'The slate is clean and we carry nothing but positivity into the finals against Amritsar Soormas. We are ready for any and every challenge that they will throw at us, and the boys are ready to do whatever it takes to win the inaugural Sher-e-Punjab T20 League. We have big match winners in our squad, as has been on display throughout the entire league. Both the batting and bowling line-ups are in extremely safe hands,' Arora said.

The captain also stressed on unity and process: 'The team will function as a cohesive team, exactly the way we have been operating throughout the tournament. Nothing changes from Match 1 to the finals. The boys know what is expected of them and are eager to execute individual plans and plans for the team.'

Bhaskar hailed as find of the season

Ludhiana Lions team director Jasvir Bhojgi singled out Sahil Bhaskar for special praise, calling him one of the tournament's most exciting discoveries. 'It would not be too wrong to say that Sahil Bhaskar has been one of the finds of the tournament. Our plan from the start was simple: to scout the best talent that exists across Punjab and to give them a platform that they rightly deserve,' Bhojgi said.

He also highlighted other emerging performers: 'Not only Sahil Bhaskar but also Kartik Chadha, Arjun Rajput, and Madhav Singh Pathania, amongst others, are testament to the work behind the scenes.'

Key absentees for the final

Ludhiana will be without two key players for the decider. Pacer Arshdeep Singh has been called up to the Indian national team, while all-rounder Arjun Rajput is also unavailable, having joined the India Under-19 squad for its series against Australia. Both departures represent a significant talent drain for the side at the most critical juncture of the tournament.

Coach Saggi on the turnaround

Head coach Sunil Saggi reflected on the Lions' remarkable reversal of fortunes after a difficult start to the season. 'After losing three matches on the trot, the team was given a simple communication, which is to increase the effort on the field. There was nothing that was particularly going wrong, but just converting and winning the smaller match-ups has made all the difference,' Saggi said.

He reserved particular praise for the captain: 'I commend Salil as a captain, and as a batter, he has managed both his responsibilities very well. In fact, he has led our batting effort from the front and anchored us in sticky situations.' Ludhiana will be hoping that same leadership shines through under the Mohali lights on Sunday evening.