TNPL 2021: Kousik's all-round show helps Panthers beat Dragons

Kousik first claimed three wickets and scored 31 runs as Madurai Panthers beat Dindigul Dragons by six wickets.

J Kousik's 31 helped the Panthers recover from 35 for 3 and win by six wickets.

Contributions with bat and ball from Jagatheesan Kousik (31 runs, 3 for 23) helped Madurai Panthers beat Dindigul Dragons by six wickets in a Tamil Nadu Premier League contest at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Thursday.

R. Rohit was the other major performer with the ball for the Panthers. He took 3 for 19 in 3.5 overs. Kiran Akash and Silambarasan claimed two wickets apiece as the Dragons were bowled out for a paltry score of 96 runs in 18.5 overs.

In reply, the Panthers lost K. Ravikumar early, but K. B. Arun Karthick’s 22 runs (26 b), and later Kousik’s 31 ensured that the side clinched victory, despite a stutter in the middle, by six wickets with five overs to spare.

Speaking after the win, Kousik said that being aggressive with the bat helped him during the chase.

“I expected this situation to arise as the wicket was doing a bit. I was prepared to go in early and when I went in, the runs were hard to get. But I knew that if I took the game deep, it would become better. So being aggressive helped me,” he said.

Brief Scores Dindigul Dragons 96 in 18.5 overs (Mani Bharathy 26, Nishaanth 19, Rohit 3 for 19, Kousik 3 for 23) lost to Madurai Panthers 97 for 4 in 15 overs (Arun Karthick 22, Kousik 31) by six wickets.