TNPL 2018: Tuti Patriots scores yet another win over Chepauk Super Gillies

In doing so, Tuti revived its hopes of reaching the playoffs with its third win in five matches and ended a twomatch losing streak in this edition’s TNPL. Incidentally, the winning shot was struck by Super Gillies’ former captain, R Sathish who was unbeaten on 30 off 12 balls with four fours and a six. 

Keeping him company was Anand Subramanian unbeaten on 48 off 34 deliveries. Super Gillies, which suffered its fifth loss in succession, has bowed out of the tournament with two more matches remaining. Chasing 168 for a win, Tuti was off to a brisk start with the right-left combination of S Dinesh and captain Kaushik Gandhi who put on 49 runs for the first wicket. 

Even a 32-minute rain interruption failed to disrupt the flow of boundaries as Tuti batted in the same authoritative manner upon resumption. Earlier, the Super Gillies won the toss and opted to bat. Incidentally, it was the first time this season that it got to bat first as in all the previous matches, it chased without much success.

Opener S Karthik was a little watchful to begin with before cutting loose playing a few crisp drives in his knock of 43 off 31 balls that consisted of six fours and a big six.

After a string of low scores, southpaw V Ganga Sridhar Raju batted with confidence and poise before he was brilliantly caught by M Ganesh Moorthi at square-leg off the lanky left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore for 23. At the completion of Powerplay, Super Gillies was 41 for one.

Captain KH Gopinath joined hands with Karthik and the duo complemented each other well rotating the strike and making sure they scored boundaries to maintain a healthy scoring rate. Tuti’s other left-arm spinner M Ganesh Moorthi bowled tidily without offering many scoring opportunities and finished his quota of four overs for 21 runs. 

Realising the need to up the ante, Karthik lost his wicket attempting a big heave and was pouched neatly by S Abishiek as Sai Kishore took his second wicket. In a move that took some by surprise, leg-spinner M Ashwin was promoted up the order ahead of U Sasidev and it appeared that it paid dividends when the 27-year-old Ashwin hit a six off spinner Malolan.

Rangarajan over long-off. But that was to be the only six he would hit as he was removed soon after by R Jesuraj for 15 (13b, 1x6). In the last five overs, the Super Gillies scored exactly 50 runs and that was largely made possible by some lusty hitting by all-rounder S Harish Kumar who scored 27 off just 12 balls studded with two sixes and an equal number of fours. Athisayaraj Davidson, who was a little wayward and expensive conceding nearly 10 runs an over, redeemed himself by taking two wickets in the death with both Harish and debutant A Aarif falling prey to his precise yorkers. Gopinath remained unbeaten on 40 (34b, 2x4, 1x6). 

Brief scores: Chepauk Super Gillies 167 for six in 20 overs (S Karthik 43, KH Gopinath 40, R Sai Kishore 2/28) lost to Tuti Patriots 169 for three in 17.2 overs (Kaushik Gandhi 45, Subramanian Anand 48*, S Harish Kumar 2/27)