Easwaran's 6-for in vain as Dindigul Dragons get off the mark in TNPL 2024

Dindigul Dragons got off to a winning start in the second match of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) 2024 with a comprehensive 16-run win over Trichy Grand Cholas in Salem.

After being asked to bat first, Dindigul Dragons got off to a flying start, with Shivam Singh hammering 14 runs off Athisayaraj Davidson's opening over. Despite losing captain Ravichandran Ashwin and Vimal Khumar early in the powerplay, the opener persisted with his aggressive approach. 

He even got to his half-century with a boundary through the deep point. Baba Indrajith (33 off 28 balls) provided crucial support to Shivam Singh (78 off 51) as the pair forged an impressive 82-run partnership for the third wicket.

The team was positioned at 127 runs after 15 overs when K Easwaran made a significant impact by dismantling the middle order. In a stunning display, he took four wickets in six deliveries, sealing a hat-trick (16.5, 16.6, and 18.1) to end with an outstanding 6/32. Easwaran is the fifth bowler to seal a hat-trick in the history of TNPL.

Boopathi's unbeaten cameo of 23 runs from 16 deliveries in the final phase of the game guided the team to a solid total of 160 in their 20 overs.

In return, the experienced bowling attack of Dindigul Dragons- consisting of Sandeep Warrier, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Varun Chakravarthy- applied the brakes on Trichy Grand Cholas, stifling their efforts to maintain the required run rate. With three wickets falling within the powerplay, Trichy Grand Cholas faced an uphill battle from which they couldn't recover by the end of the innings.

The run-a-ball partnership of 39 runs between Shyam Sundar and Sanjay Yadav for the fifth wicket, followed by R Rajkumar's quick-fire 31 (17), showed glimpses of hope, but they left too many for the end.

Trichy Grand Cholas managed only 144/8 in their 20 overs, suffering their eighth consecutive loss in the TNPL.

Ashwin was the pick of the bowlers for Dindigul Dragons with 3/18 from his four overs. Warrier grabbed two wickets, while VP Diran, G Kishoor, and Chakravarthy ended with one wicket apiece.

Brief scores:

Dindigul Dragons 160/8 in 20 overs (Shivam Singh 78, Baba Indrajith 33; K Easwaran 6/32) beat Trichy Grand Cholas 144/8 in 20 overs (R Rajkumar 31, Sanjay Yadav 24; Ravichandran Ashwin 3/18) by 16 runs

Player of the Match: Shivam Singh

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