Dindigul Dragons and Nellai Royal Kings will face off for a spot in the final of the TNPL when the two sides meet in the second qualifier at the ICL Cricket Ground here on Monday.
The Dragons lost big in the qualifier to defending champion Lyca Kovai Kings.
The Royal Kings held its nerve in a thrilling run-fest against Siechem Madurai Panthers to post a four-run win in the Eliminator on Saturday.
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The pitch in Tirunelveli has not produced high-scoring games, and the Dragons, with its quality bowling attack, will fancy its chances.
When the two sides met at the same venue in the league stage, Dragons cruised home to a seven-wicket win chasing a modest total.
One area where the Dindigul side may need to watch out for is the top-order collapse, which has happened thrice so far, including in the first qualifier when it slumped to 58 for five, chasing 194.
However, skipper B. Indrajith said, “It is not a big concern because someone has stepped up in every game. We have good depth in our batting with some promising youngsters.”
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On the other hand, the Nellai side will look to ride on some home support and make it to the summit clash. It has been one of the best teams with the bat in the PowerPlay, with skipper K.B. Arun Karthick and G. Ajitesh having shouldered the bulk of the responsibility. But the team will be pleased with the efforts of Nidhish Rajgopal, who top-scored with 76 and Rithik Easwaran’s vital cameo in the end.
Pacer M. Poiyamozhi has been one of the standout performers in the league with his slower deliveries and cutters, and skipper Arun Karthick will want his other bowlers to pull their weight behind a bit more.
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