Eastern Riders led by star Sri Lankan players beat Western Challengers to win inaugural Olam Cup

Captain Sanath Jayasuriya receiving Inaugural Cup from Singapore President S R Nathan.

Sanath Jayasuriya hits one out of the ground.

SINGAPORE: The Eastern Riders, led by their star Sri Lankan players, won the inaugural IAT20 Super Challenge Olam Cup in Singapore on Sunday.

Four teams competed in the two-day event at the Indian Association grounds, and the Eastern Riders and the Western Challengers made it to the finals.

Fans lapped up world-class cricket on display as the two teams fought it out.

Batting first, the Challengers posted 189 runs for 8, setting a 190 target for their opponents to chase.

The Riders got off to a bad start when their biggest batsman, Sanath Jayasuriya, was out for 6.

Youngster Irfan Nasir caught the Sri Lankan star after Tom Harrison bowled.

But his compatriot, Upul Tharanga, took off where he left and the Riders charged ahead to finish on 190 runs for 6 to clinch victory.

President SR Nathan, who enjoyed watching the sport in his younger days, was on hand to present the trophy and the winning cheque of $15,000.

Organisers claim it has been a long time since they have seen such a large paying crowd at a cricket event as the Olam Cup.

And here's more good news - bigger-name stars are being planned to make their appearances in the next editions of the Olam Cup in 2011 and 2012.