Middle-Belt Tigers emerged champions of the maiden Nigeria Super League cricket tournament after beating Southern Sharks by six runs in a closely contested final held at the TBS Oval in Lagos.

The victory brought an end to almost two weeks of competitive cricket action that featured 20 matches and highlighted the growing standard of the sport in Nigeria.

After winning the toss, the Tigers, led by wicketkeeper Sulaimon Runsewe, chose to bat first and posted 104 runs for the loss of five wickets in their allotted 10 overs.Southern Sharks mounted a strong chase and stayed in contention throughout the innings.Isesele Odion Evangel top-scored with 26 runs from 21 balls, while captain Isaac Okpe added a quick 15 runs from seven deliveries.Kenneth Boniface and Durotoye Gideon also contributed valuable runs as the Sharks pushed the game into the final over.Despite the pressure, the Tigers maintained their composure and restricted the Sharks to 98 runs for seven wickets, sealing a memorable six-run win.Earlier in the day, Northern Lions secured third place after defeating Central Eagles by 32 runs in the playoff match.Individual awards were also presented at the end of the tournament.

Solomon Chilemanya of Middle-Belt Tigers finished as the leading run scorer with 172 runs, while teammate Ndubudem Elochukwu claimed the best bowler award with 14 wickets.

Ridwan Kareem of Northern Lions was recognised as the best fielder, and Ismail Abdullahi of Southern Sharks received the Outstanding Young Player award.Southern Sharks star Isaac Danladi was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player after recording 168 runs and 13 wickets.All six participating teams shared in a total prize pool of ₦13.25 million alongside the individual cash awards.