MATCH REPORT
Follow UsNellai Royal Kings defeated Salem Spartans by five wickets to finish the Dindigul phase of the Tamil Nadu Premier League on a high note at the NPR College Cricket Ground.
After a brief rain halt, the Nellai Royal Kings opted to field first. The rain played spoilsport in the first hour of the play. However, quick work from the ground staff made sure that the match was back in no time. Unfortunately, in the 16th over, the rain got back, forcing the first innings to end at 115/4.
Batting first in tough conditions, the Salem Spartans batters struggled initially. Amith Satvik was the first wicket to fall as he was run out in the second over.
The in-form Kaushik Gandhi came in at three and continued from where he left in the last game. Gandhi made use of the final two overs of the powerplay by scoring four boundaries and six in seven deliveries to move from 1(5) to 27(17).
Nellai Royal Kings bounced back in the middle overs. The bowlers kept the line and length tight as the Salem Spartans could only deal in singles. They got to 67/1 in their ten overs. Gandhi was the star with the bat for the team as he got to his second consecutive half-century of the tournament.
In the 11th over, R Kavin was bowled by NS Harish, who ended his four overs with 1/17. A couple of deliveries after R Kavin's dismissal, Gandhi got out to a stunning return catch from Lakshay Jain. The in-form batter made 51 (43).
S. Abishiek and Muhammed Adnan Khan tried to gather quick runs in the final five overs. Unfortunately, the rain played a spoilsport, as the officials had to wrap up the first innings after the 16th over.
Nellai Royal Kings' target was revised to 129 in 16 overs by the D/L method. Nellai Royal Kings had an unfortunate start to the innings as they lost Arun Karthik for a duck.
Sri Neranjan R, the impact player for the Nellai Royal Kings, scored a six and a four to kickstart the chase. The opener got out for 14 runs.
G Ajitesh batted at three today. The wicketkeeper did not disappoint, as he made 39 from 31 before getting out to Ganesh Moorthi. He helped the Nellai Royal Kings reach 73/2 in their 10 overs.
After his dismissal, the aggressive batter, Sonu Yadav, joined Rithik Easwaran. Sonu Yadav looked in good touch as his front-foot flick off Akash Sumra cleared the boundary with ease. However, Akash bounced back to dismiss Rithik and reduce the Nellai Royal Kings to 84/4.
The Nellai Royal Kings needed 45 runs to win in their last 25 deliveries. Sonu Yadav, who carried the hopes of the Nellai Royal Kings, did not last long as Abhishek Tanwar dismissed him early in the 13th over.
L. Suryaprakash had to go for big shots right from ball one. He smashed a six and a four off Sunny Sandhu to reduce the required run rate. The team needed 26 off 12 balls.
Abhishek Tanwar was given the responsibility to bowl the penultimate over. Abhishek bowled the most dot balls of the innings with 13 dots. He also had two wickets. However, it didn't matter for Suryaprakash, as he smashed 6, 6, and 4 to get the required runs to a single-digit score.
Needing eight runs to win in the final over (16th over), P. Sugendhiran joined the party as he smashed the first ball for a six. The team then finished off the game in 15.4 overs to win the rain-hit match by five wickets.
Nellai Royal Kings move above Chepauk Super Gillies in the points table after today's win. They are currently in the third spot with three wins and a loss from four matches.
After the win, Nellai Royal Kings' G Ajitesh said: After I got out, the game changed completely, but Surya Anna (Suryaprakash) won from nowhere. We have different plans for different games. We had to forget the previous game's loss and focus on today.
After the loss, Salem Spartans captain Abhishek Tanwar said: During the first inning, while our batters were doing well, the rain interrupted. It was disappointing. In the second inning, the match changed in the last two overs. This was the reason for our loss.
After the win, KB Arun Karthik said, We had the confidence that we would win the game. I did not expect this kind of performance from L. Suryaprakash. Sugendhiran also scored a six when needed. It is nice to see several match winners in my team. In recent matches, I failed to score, but other batters have stood up to the occasion.
The Player of the match, L Suryaprakash, said: This game was astonishing. I have never played as a finisher, but yesterday, the management told us about our roles on the team. When wickets fell, I knew I had to go in as a finisher, and I prepared mentally for it. This win gives me more confidence.
With this game, the Dindigul phase of the Tamil Nadu Premier League 2023 comes to an end. The caravan now moves to Salem. After a rest day on Friday, the tournament will be back on Salem Cricket Foundation Ground for a doubleheader.
Nellai Royal Kings and Chepauk Super Gillies will face off in the first match of the day. Salem Spartans will face off against Siechem Madurai Panthers in the second match of the doubleheader.
(Image and Match Report courtesy: TNPL)
