TNPL 2024: Kovai Kings trumps Trichy to continue winning streak
It was the defending champion’s fourth win of the season and the 11th consecutive win in the competition since 2023.
Published : Jul 16, 2024 22:45 IST , COIMBATORE - 1 MIN READ
Shahrukh Khan of Lyca Kovai Kings, who took three wickets against Trichy Grand Cholas. | Photo Credit: Periasamy M/The Hindu
M. Shahrukh Khan led from the front with the ball (4-0-13-3), wrecking Trichy Grand Cholas’ top-order to set up a comfortable eight-wicket win for Lyca Kovai Kings at the Sri Ramakrishna College ground on Tuesday.
It was the defending champion’s fourth win of the season and the 11th consecutive win in the competition since 2023.
After winning the toss, Shahrukh inserted the opposition and spun a web around Cholas’ batters, scalping three wickets in his first two overs to restrict the Trichy side to 125 for nine.
Shahrukh struck twice in two balls in his first over when he trapped Waseem Ahmed leg-before and then followed it up with a brilliant loopy off-break to castle Anthony Dhas through the gate.
The Kovai Kings skipper got his third in his next over when P.S. Nirmal Kumar skied one to deep midwicket. Cholas were reduced to 35 for six in the 10th over before R. Sanjay Yadav (34) and Jafar Jamal (41 n.o.) staged a rescue act, adding 56 for the seventh wicket.
Chasing a moderate target, Kovai started poorly when Athisayaraj Davidson delivered a double strike in the first over, including the big wicket of B. Sai Sudharsan. However, U. Mukilesh (63 n.o., 54b, 6x4, 1x6) and B. Sujay (48 n.o.) quickly steadied things, playing delectable drives and cuts to find boundaries without risks. The duo stitched an unbroken 118-run partnership for the third wicket and took their side home with 23 balls to spare.