Tamil Nadu senior selection committee member Rahil Shah (4-0-13-3) brought his experience to the fore to help Chepauk Super Gillies beat SKM Salem Spartans by 23 runs as the curtains came down on the Coimbatore leg of the TNPL at the Sri Ramakrishna College ground here on Thursday.
Chasing 157, Spartans’ top-order struggled against left-arm spinners Rahil and M. Silambarasan (4-0-10-1), who squeezed the runs dry on a pitch that offered prodigious turn for the tweakers.
Openers R. Kavin and S. Abishiek failed to give a good start, with the Salem side managing only 22 in the PowerPlay. At the halfway stage, Spartans crawled to 42 for two before Muhammed Adnan Khan (31) injected some hope.
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Adnan went after spinner B. Surya, hitting him for three sixes and a four in a 23-run 13th over. He found support from Robin Bist (36), and the duo added 51 for the fourth wicket to help Spartans put up a fight.
However, Rahil returned for his final over and castled Adnan to seal the game for the former champion.
Earlier, B. Aparajith’s measured knock (41, 41b, 2x6) and Abhishek Tanwar’s last-over heroics (26 n.o., 8b, 4x6) helped Super Gillies to 156 for seven after being asked to bat first on a tricky pitch.
Skipper Aparajith started positively, collecting two sixes, but slowed down during the middle overs. Daryl S. Ferrario (23, 13b) gave the innings some momentum, finding the fence a few times, including a flicked six off Harish Kumar.
Tanwar then closed out the innings majestically, smashing Harish Kumar for four sixes in the 20th, which proved vital in the end.
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