MATCH REPORT
Follow UsSiechem Madurai Panthers bagged their first win of the Tamil Nadu Premier League as they defeated the Salem Spartans by seven wickets at Salem Cricket Foundation Ground on Saturday.
Siechem Madurai Panthers, who are returning after a long break, began the Salem phase of the tournament on a high note.
Opting to field first, Gurjapneet Singh removed Akash Sumra in the first over. He came back to dismiss the in-form Kaushik Gandhi for 3(4). Notably, Gandhi notched up back-to-back half-centuries prior to this match.
Amith Sathvik showed some glimpses of hope when he smashed Washington Sundar for a couple of boundaries. However, Siechem Madurai Panthers bowlers kept grabbing wickets at the other end. They reduced the Salem Spartans to 23/4 in their six overs.
Murugan Ashwin added more damage to the Salem Spartans' batting line-up when he dismissed Amith Satvik and Muhammed Adnan Khan in back-to-back overs.
Salem Spartans found themselves at 63/6 in their 15 overs. Sunny Sandhu tried to get some runs on board but got out while trying to play an on-drive towards deep mid-wicket.
Salem Spartans captain Abhishek Tanwar smashed two sixes and a four to take the team to 98 before getting out to V. Gowtham in the final over of the innings. He made 29 (18).
Siechem Madurai Panthers used seven bowlers today. Everyone except Washington Sundar grabbed at least a wicket today. The Salem Spartans batters did not try to take on the experienced bowler.
Gurjapneet Singh led the attack with 3/15. Murugan Ashwin and V Gowtham bagged two wickets apiece, while Swapnil Singh, J Kousik, and P Saravanan picked up one wicket each.
With only 98 runs on board, Salem Spartans needed to grab early wickets. They did exactly the same when Sunny Sandhu dismissed captain Hari Nishaanth for a duck.
The team tried to keep things tight. J. Kousik brought the Panthers back into the game by scoring two sixes and a four in a span of five deliveries. Sri Abishiek joined him by scoring a couple of boundaries off R. Karthikeyan to end the powerplay at 49/2, and then they moved to 68/3 in 10 overs.
After the first half of the inning, the message was clear from the dressing room. Siechem Madurai Panthers tried to finish off their game early to improve their net run rate. The impact player for Seichem Madurai Panthers, Sri Abishiek, was aggressive. Along with Swapnil Singh, the duo added 39* (33) for the fourth wicket to take the team home.
After the win, Siechem Madurai Panthers captain Hari Nishaanth said, I believe it was a good pitch to bat on. Our bowlers did well, especially Gurjapneet Singh. He has improved well in recent times. We need to guide him a bit, but he is really good. I'm happy to get a win on board. We will look to continue the same in the future.
After the loss, Abhishek Tanwar said, This was disappointing. We will try to improve. We have been playing decent cricket but are not very good at winning matches. We were good in parts. I have not talked to the players yet (about the first inning); we will have a meeting in a day or two to talk about it. Not today. I feel like our batters should step up.
The player of the match, Gurjapneet Singh, said, I feel good to be back in the team for this season. It's nice to get two points on board. I'm not trying anything new at the moment, but I'm keeping working on my skills. It was good to contribute.
Sunday, June 25, will witness a doubleheader once again. Dindigul Dragons will take on Lyca Kovai Kings in the opening match on Sunday, while iDream Tiruppur Tamizhans will face off against Ba11sy Trichy.
Dindigul Dragons are the only unbeaten team in the tournament. They will look to get to the top of the table with a win against the defending champions. Lyca Kovai Kings, on the other hand, are in the third spot with three wins and a loss. A win here would take them to the top two in the points table.
iDream Tiruppur Tamizhans and Ba11sy Trichy are in the bottom half of the table. Ba11sy Trichy are still searching for their first win of the tournament, while Tiruppur have one win in three matches.
(Image and Match Report courtesy: TNPL)
