The defending Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) champion Albert Tuti Patriots will face Chepauk Super Gillies in the first qualifier at the M.A. Chidambaram stadium on Tuesday.
The Super Gillies will look to put an end to the 12-match unbeaten streak of the Patriots — six in 2016 and six in 2017 so far.
The two sides have previously played two significant games against each other, the first ever TNPL match as well as the final of the inaugural season (2016), with Patriots emerging victorious on both occassions.
The Patriots, in its charge to the playoffs, has well established itself as the best batting and bowling unit of the competition. It would want to keep the momentum going into this game and would not want to tamper with the playing XI.
IPL 2017's breakout star Washington Sundar leads both the batting and bowling charts with 372 runs and 12 wickets for the Patriots this year. Opener Kaushik Gandhi's supporting act has helped ease the pressure off the teenager. The side’s youngsters have performed admirably in the absence of seniors like Abhinav Mukund and Dinesh Karthik.
The Super Gillies had a perfect start to the season where it won its first two games before going down to the Washington-inspired Patriots . The team then won four in a row to make the playoff stage.
The Hemang Badani-coached side has had its batsmen and bowlers step up to the challenge equally. It would want to keep the winning combination in tact as it looks for its first win in four meetings against the Patriots
Left arm-spinner Sai Kishore has starred with the ball and has collected 12 wickets for the Super Gillies. The 20-year-old boasts of man of the match award-winning figures of five for 13 against Karaikudi Kaalai - the best haul from two seasons of TNPL. Senior players like R. Sathish and V.Y. Mahesh will look for a better outing this time around after being punished by Washington during his 67-ball 107 during the league stage.
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