Dindigul Dragons devours Kovai Kings

N Jagadeesan (66 not out off 50 balls) and NS Chaturved (72 off 36) made light of Kovai’s total of 185 and cruised to win in 17.4 overs. After left-handed opening batsman Hari Nishanth made a quick 19 off 9 balls, Jagadeesan and Chaturved added 105 runs for the second wicket in 65 balls to take their side to its second win in as many matches. 

Earlier, quick fifties by Shahrukh Khan (86 off 54 balls) and Akkil Srinaath (54 not out off 40 balls) helped Kovai Kings run up 185 for five in its 20 overs. Dindigul, which opted to bowl, started well when Aditya Arun conceded only four runs in the first over. But Shahrukh Khan lifted the run rate as J Kaushik and R Rohit gave 15 runs each in the third and fifth overs respectively. 

In between, Shahrukh Khan was also involved in two runouts. First, captain Abhinav Mukund did not respond to a call for a single by Khan and then Pradosh Ranjan Paul was also run out. 

Undeterred, Shahrukh Khan hit two sixes and at the other end Ravikumar Rohith too hit a six as Kovai moved towards a healthy total. 

Ravichandran Ashwin coming on in the eighth over, accounted for Rohith (26 off 16 balls), who was bowled off-stump. At that stage, Dindigul looked like coming back into the match. 

But Sharukh Khan was not finished yet. He found an equally aggressive Akkil Srinaath as his partner and the duo launched a counterattack. After reaching his 50 off 37 balls with a four off Ashwin, Shahrukh hoisted the India off-spinner for a six over mid-wicket.

BRIEF SCORES: Kovai Kings 185/5 in 20 overs (Shahrukh Khan 86, R Rohith 26, Akkil Srinaath 54*, M Mohammed 1/27, R Ashwin 1/29) lost to Dindigul Dragons 190/2 in 17.4 overs (NS Chaturved 72, N Jagadeesan 66*, B Anirudh 25*)