Tamil Nadu makes a winning start

Invited to bat first, Tamil Nadu, which was led by Narayan Jagadeesan in the absence of regular skipper Vijay Shankar, posted a competitive 290 for 8. Shahrukh and Baba Indrajith, who contributed 45 off 64 deliveries, shone the brightest for Tamil Nadu, with pacer Dhawal Kulkarni (3/45) being the wrecker-in-chief. Chasing 291 for its maiden victory, Mumbai could muster only 236 all-out in 46.4 overs as captain Shams Mulani waged a lone battle with a 100-ball 75.

Two partnerships – a 75-run stand for the third wicket between Indrajith (45 off 64 balls, 4 fours, 1 six) and Washington Sundar (34 off 58 balls, 3 fours), and an 88-run alliance for the sixth wicket between J Kousik (32 off 38 balls, 4 fours) and Shahrukh (66 off 35 balls, 6 fours, 5 sixes) – helped Tamil Nadu put 290 on the scorecard.

Replying to Tamil Nadu’s total, Mumbai never got going in the run-chase. The left-handed Mulani (75 off 100 balls, 6 fours, 1 six) and Sairaj Patil (42 off 35 balls, 3 fours, 2 sixes) stitched a 62-run partnership for the sixth wicket, but it just wasn’t enough.

The spin trio of Manimaran Siddharth (3/43 off 10 overs), Washington (3/60 off 9.4 overs) and R Sai Kishore (2/35 off 9 overs) had a field day at the office. “While batting, we paced our innings well. That is what helped us post a good score. Vijay Shankar has discomfort in his abdomen,” Tamil Nadu head coach M Venkataramana told DT Next.