TNPL 2022: Kovai Kings, Super Gillies secure wins

Lyca Kovai Kings and Chepauk Super Gillie snatched wins after beating iDream Tiruppur Tamizhans and Dindigul Dragons respectively.

Suresh Kumar of Lyca Kovai Kings in full flow against IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans in the Shriram Capital Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) held in Coimbatore on Saturday.  | Photo Credit: THE HINDU

Winning cricket and influential partnerships - it takes two to tango - are intertwined.

And a mammoth unbeaten second wicket association of 151 in 82 balls enabled host Lyca Kovai Kings to ease to 158 set by iDream Tiruppur Tamizhans in their TNPL clash here on Saturday.

Local boy and opener Suresh Kumar (83 not out, 44b, 9x4, 3x6), and southpaw Sai Sudharsan (68 not out, 41b, 9x4, 1x6) impressed.

Wicket-keeper batter Suresh, playing with freedom and enterprise, thumped the ball through gaps on either side, stepped down to strike the spinners over long-off and covers and was busy throughout.

And Sai batted with the grace and the flair of a natural.

Balanced at the crease, he fired the ball through the gaps on either side, his feet and willow moving in harmony. Quality is never in short supply when Sai bats.

Earlier, opener S. Anirudha’s blitzkrieg (39, 21b, 1x4, 5x6) provided momentum to the Tamizhans’ - inserted- innings upfront.

Dinesh Karthik entertained the goodly crowd with some typically powerful blows before Ajith bravely flighted one for the star batter to hole out at long-on

With his high-arm action and easy, languid release, Ajith is one for the future.

Tamizhans kept losing wickets and could not quite put enough runs on the board despite some late flourish by southpaw Maan Bafna.

In the second match of the day, Chepauk Super Gillies prevailed over Dindigul Dragons by five wickets.

Dragons, inserted, struggled to find rhythm in its batting posting 138 for five, dropped catches yet fought hard on the field to take the contest to the final over.

Openers skipper Kaushik Gandhi (44, 38b, 3x4, 2x6) and N. Jagadeesan (31, 30b, 3x4) gave Super Gillies a solid start and Sonu Yadav delivered the big hits during his 18-ball 26.

The threat from R. Ashwin’s off-spin was negated effectively by the Super Gillies batters.

Earlier, seamers Sandeep Warrier and Sonu bowled with exemplary control and the spinners maintained the pressure for the most part for Super Gillies.

For Dragons, R. Vivek (61 not out, 38b, 4x4, 4x6), dropped by Sathish on zero at long-on off Siddharth, tore into left-arm spinner R. Sai Kishore and seamer Harish Kumar in the end overs for a flurry of sixes to lend the struggling innings some thrust, but it wasn't enough.