India Masters, led by the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, emerged victorious in the inaugural season of the International Masters League, defeating West Indies Masters by six wickets in the final held at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, Raipur, on Sunday.

After restricting West Indies Masters to 148/7, India Masters comfortably chased down the target in just 17.1 overs, powered by a stellar half-century from Ambati Rayudu, who smashed 74 off 50 deliveries.

Tense Moment Between Yuvraj Singh and Tino Best

The contest wasn’t without drama, as a tense on-field exchange unfolded between Yuvraj Singh and Tino Best. Yuvraj expressed frustration over Best briefly leaving the field after conceding consecutive boundaries in his third over. Upon his return, Best confronted Yuvraj, leading to a heated verbal exchange before Brian Lara, Rayudu, and the umpires intervened to defuse the situation.

Despite the incident, Yuvraj remained unbeaten on 13 off 11, guiding India to victory alongside Stuart Binny (16*).

Earlier, Tendulkar delighted fans with glimpses of his classic stroke play, including a trademark upper-cut for six off Jerome Taylor. The Indian icon scored 25 off 18, hitting two fours and a six before falling to Best, who finished with figures of 1/34.

Shane Watson of Australia topped the tournament’s run charts with 361 runs from six innings at a blistering strike rate of 195.14, including three centuries. Meanwhile, spinners Ashley Nurse and Xavier Doherty ended as joint-highest wicket-takers, claiming 10 wickets each.