TNPL 2022: DD beat LKK by 5 wickets

CHENNAI: Dindigul Dragons recorded its maiden win of the Tamil Nadu Premier League 2022 by defeating Lyca Kovai Kings in a high-scoring match at the ICL Sankar Nagar Ground in Tirunelveli on Sunday.

Dindigul, which had gone down to Ruby Trichy Warriors in its opener, got the better of Kovai by five wickets, reaching its destination with four balls to spare. A collective effort helped Kings post a mammoth 188 for eight after being invited to bat. But, Dragons paced its chase well, with opening batters C Hari Nishaanth (60 off 36 balls, 7 fours, 2 sixes) and Vishal Vaidhya (49 off 40 balls, 4 fours, 1 six) being the chief contributors. Invited to bat, Kovai began the match on the front foot as Suresh Kumar (37 off 24 balls, 7 fours) and Ganga Sridhar Raju (33 off 28 balls, 4 fours, 1 six) accumulated 67 runs for the first wicket. U Mukilesh (49 off 25 balls, 3 fours, 4 sixes) and Shijit Chandran (30 off 20 balls, 3 fours, 1 six) performed their duties in the middle-overs, setting a platform for skipper Shahrukh Khan to launch in the death.

Shahrukh did just that as he came up with a cameo of 19 off just eight deliveries, an innings which included two fours and a maximum. Medium pacer R Vivek (3/35) stood out for Dindigul with a three-wicket haul while left-arm spinner M Silambarasan (2/22) and left-arm seamer R Suthesh (2/44) bagged two apiece.

In the chase, DD skipper Hari Nishaanth led from the front as he shared a 100-run alliance with his opening partner Vishal. Although Dragons lost three wickets in a span of just 22 runs – moving from 100 without loss to 122 for three – AG Pradeep (24 not out off 17 balls, 1 four, 1 six) and Vivek (22 off 10 balls, 3 sixes) did bulk of the scoring under pressure to help the team secure two points. K Monish (11 not out off 6 balls, 2 fours) was unbeaten along with Pradeep when Dindigul crossed the line.

BRIEF SCORES: Lyca Kovai Kings 188/8 in 20 overs (U Mukilesh 49, Suresh Kumar 37, Ganga Sridhar Raju 33, Shijit Chandran 30, R Vivek 3/35, M Silambarasan 2/22, R Suthesh 2/44) lost to Dindigul Dragons 190/5 in 19.2 overs (C Hari Nishaanth 60, Vishal Vaidhya 49, Shahrukh Khan 2/35, R Divakar 2/39)

Tiruppur takes on Trichy in its opener

iDream Tiruppur Tamizhans will look to begin its TNPL 2022 campaign on a winning note when it takes on a confident Ruby Trichy Warriors in Tirunelveli on Monday.

While Tiruppur will be bolstered by the presence of opening batter Aniruda Srikkanth – its skipper – Trichy heads into the contest off an eight-wicket win over Dindigul Dragons. Young pacer Ajay Krishna, wicketkeeper-batter Adithya Ganesh and skipper Rahil Shah had impressed for Warriors in the team’s last outing.