Third time was the charm for Chepauk Super Gillies as it tasted success after two successive losses in the eighth edition of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL).
The Chepauk outfit — inspired by Pradosh Ranjan Paul’s unbeaten 67 (46b, 8x4) and a defiant fielding display — beat IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans by 15 runs at the Salem Cricket Foundation Ground on Wednesday.
S. Ganesh (61, 35b, 7x4, 2x6) did put up a fight for the Tiruppur side. However, G. Periyaswamy (two for 18) bowled a stellar penultimate over (two runs and a wicket) to put the game too far away from Tamizhans.
Chasing a target of 158, the Tiruppur outfit lost two top-order batters to stellar catches. Skipper B. Aparajith’s diving effort in the deep removed S. Radhakrishnan. After Amit Sathvik perished trying for a maximum, 38-year-old Rahil Shah leapt to his left at cover to see the back of Tushar Raheja. The early jolts meant that Ganesh’s efforts went futile.
After being asked to bat, Super Gillies started strong thanks to the third-wicket partnership between N. Jagadeesan (36, 26b, 2x4, 2x6) and Pradosh. Mohamed Ali (three for 29) broke the 53-run stand by luring Jagadeesan to hit over the longer boundary and the opener fell right into the trap. The off-spinner then pouched Daryl S. Ferrario off his own bowling to make it 94 for four in 11.2 overs.
Facing the prospect of finishing with a subpar total, Pradosh extracted some boundaries in the death overs to guide Super Gillies to 157, which proved more than enough thanks to a spirited effort in the field.
THE SCORES
Thursday’s match: Nellai Royal Kings vs. SKM Salem Spartans, Salem Cricket Foundation Ground, 7.15 PM IST.
Comments
SHARE