B. Sachin top-scored with 63 to help Lyca Kovai Kings post 141 for seven and go on to win by 13 runs versus Chepauk Super Gillies in the inaugural match of the eighth season of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) at the Salem Cricket Foundation (SCF) ground here on Friday.
Targetting 142, Chepauk seemed to be cruising with a 56-run second-wicket stand between skipper Baba Aparajith (38, 29b, 4x4, 1x6) and N. Jagadeesan (18).
But medium-pacer M. Mohammed had Jagadeesan miss his pull to be bowled off a slower ball, after which Kovai skipper M. Shahrukh Khan bowled himself to have Aparajith miscue his slog sweep to Sachin at long-on. Aparajith had earlier remarkably pulled Mohammed over the deep midwicket boundary for a six.
Though Pradosh Ranjan Paul tried his best with a 32-ball 40 (4x4), he couldn’t quite deliver the big blows in the end and was retired out after the penultimate ball of the 19th over. Mohammed successfully defended 18 runs in the last over.
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Earlier, after Aparajith opted to bowl, medium-pacer Tanwar (four for 26) had Kovai openers J. Suresh Kumar and S. Sujay edge to slip and keeper in his first two overs.
Paul’s throw, running in from midwicket, ran Shahrukh out at the non-striker’s end as Lyca Kovai Kings ended the PowerPlay with 34 for three.
It recovered through the 64-run fourth-wicket partnership between left-hander Sachin (63, 53b, 8x4) and U. Mukilesh (31, 25b, 3x4).
Sachin remarkably swept left-arm spinner Rahil Shah over short fine-leg for four. He ramped an attempted yorker between short fine-leg and the keeper, and lofted inside-out over cover for fours in the 20th over off Tanwar.
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