From R Ashwin’s bowling action that left social media in splits to Narayanan Jagadeesan becoming the first player to score 1,000 runs in the league, Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) saw some noteworthy moments in the last few days.
The tournament, which kicked off to an amazing start last week, has witnessed some decent cricket the past few days. For the first time since the start of the league this year, matches were played in Tirunelveli also.
Lyka Kovai Kings v VB Kanchi Veerans- July 21
Skipper Abhinav Mukund and opening batsman Shah Rukh Khan pulled Lyka Kovai Kings (LKK) past the finishing line with their breezy knocks. This marks Kovai’s first victory in the TNPL 219 edition. The match, which took place on Sunday at the NPR College grounds in Natham, Dindigul district, saw LKK chasing 151 to win, which the team surpassed in 15.2 overs with eight wickets to spare.
Abhinav and Shah Rukh built a partnership of 84 runs when the latter was dismissed by R Suthesh for 40. For Kanchi Veerans, despite the loss of openers within the first few overs, the middle order batsmen steered the ship. The crucial partnership of 62 runs for the third-wicket by Baba Aparajith, the Veerans’ captain and Lokeshwar formed the crux of their innings.
Dindigul Dragons v Siechem Madurai Panthers – July 22
In a match peppered with glorious landmarks and R Ashwin’s mysterious bowling action, Dindigul Dragons (DD) grabbed a victory against Siechem Madurai Panthers (SMP) in the 100thmatch of TNPL franchise. The win has put DD on top of the league table with four points.
What do you have to say about his guys? #Ashwinpic.twitter.com/eNNI1wNNJH
— Cricketopia (@CricketopiaCom) July 23, 2019
Nishanth and Narayanan Jagadeesan gave a solid start of 104 runs for DD for the opening wicket, which helped the team set a target of 183 for SMP to chase. During the DD innings, Jagadeesan also became the first player to score 1,000 runs in TNPL. Vellore lad M Silambarasan thwarted SMP’s run chase by dismissing openers Arun Karthick and Sarathraj early in his bowling stint. Silambarasan managed to scalp four wickets in the match.
Though Abhishek Tanwar and R Mithun tried to salvage SMP’s innings, it was too late in the day. SMP could only muster 152 in their allotted 20 overs.
Ruby Trichy Warriors v Chepauk Super Gillies- July 23
Chepauk Super Gillies (CSG) posted its first victory in the 2019-edition of TNPL on Tuesday as they beat Ruby Trichy Warriors (RTW) by 41 runs in Tirunelveli. Ramanathapuram lad R Alexandar grabbed a 5-wicket haul in Tuesday’s match, which effectively derailed RTW’s run chase.
Batting first, CSG scored 148 for the loss of six wickets in 20 overs. Chasing the target, RTW could not manage to get going, especially due to Alexandar’s terrific show with the ball. The leg spinner grabbed five wickets giving away only nine runs in four overs.
For CSG, it was two crucial partnerships that kept them in the hunt. Opener Ganga Sridhar Raju and Gopinath realised 58 runs during their stint at the crease, which was followed by the 54-run stand between Harish Kumar and Murugan Ashwin.