MATCH REPORT
Follow UsDindigul Dragons defeat Salem Spartans by seven wickets in the 26th match of the Tamil Nadu Premier League at India Cements Cricket Ground in Tirunelveli.
Dingidul Dragons opted to field first. Salem Spartans openers added 27 runs for the first wicket, including three boundaries off G Kishoor's over, before Varun Chakaravarthy dismissed Kaushik Gandhi for 7 (10). This is the second consecutive low score for the experienced batter.
Walking in at three was Kavin R, who smashed four boundaries and a six for his nine-ball 25 runs. He was run out in the sixth over. When Kavin was going after the bowlers, Aravind played an anchor role for the wicketkeeper. Chakaravarthy was the star with the ball once again, as he dismissed Aravind for a 25-ball 26.
Sunny Sandhu has been a pillar in the middle order for the Salem Spartans in TNPL 2023. The team management had earlier mentioned he was batting well in the nets, and his promotion in the batting order has paid off once again as the all-rounder dominated the middle overs. He raced to his third consecutive half-century in the TNPL 2023 with a 95-metre six over the midwicket.
Mokit Hariharan provided the necessary stability to the partnership with Sandhu for the Salem Spartans. The all-rounder had a slow start to the innings but accompanied Sandhu well to add a half-century partnership for the fourth wicket. He got out for 21 runs after adding a 63 (46), along with Sandhu. This is the highest stand for the Salem Spartans in TNPL 2023.
Sandhu later smashed another six before Subodh Bhati dismissed him in the 18th over. He made 57 (39).
A few balls later, Chakaravarthy hit a stunner in the third region to dismiss Abhishek Tanwar early. This pushed the Salem Spartans to the back foot as they managed only 160/6 in their 20 overs. Chakaravarthy and Bhati grabbed two wickets each for the Dindigul Dragons.
Chasing 161 to win, Shivam Singh, the impact player for the Dindigul Dragons, got out early today. Vimal Khumar and Baba Indrajith took the game away from the Salem Spartans with a 93-run stand for the second wicket. Vimal Khumar took his time and had a slow start to the inning. He then smashed a six and four to move to 40 (34) before a miscommunication with Indrajith cost him his wicket.
Indrajith, on the other hand, dominated right from ball one. He scored his half-century in 36 deliveries and continued to take on bowlers. The team reached 100 in their 13 overs and needed 40 from 24 deliveries.
A couple of full tosses in Sandhu's over helped Adithya Ganesh smash a six and a four to get them closer to the target. Sandhu bounced back to dismiss him for 19 (13).
Indrajith then smashed three sixes and a four in the next seven balls to seal a seven-wicket victory for the team. He remained unbeaten at 83 (50). With this win, Dindigul Dragons sealed the top-two spot and will play Lyca Kovai Kings in Qualifier One.
The winning captain and player of the match for today's game, Baba Indrajith, said: Going into this game, we wanted to finish in the top two since we will have an extra cushion. At the start, our bowlers did well. Then everyone chipped in to provide us with victories. We have invested a lot in our youngsters and have played several practice matches before the tournament. It is good to go into the playoffs in good form. I wanted to take some time in the middle and bat deep. It is a good sign that I was able to score well without lofting shots initially.
Losing captain Abhishek Tanwar said, I thought we were 20 runs short. 180 was the par score on this wicket. The wind did play a role in this game. We had an unstable batting order. Also, most of our players are young. We will rectify our mistakes and come back stronger.
Siechem Madurai Panthers will meet iDream Tiruppur Tamizhans in the 27th match. A win here will help the Siechem Madurai Panthers seal a spot in the top four. If they lose, Chepauk Super Gillies will make it to the playoffs.
(Image and Match Report courtesy: TNPL)
