Chepauk Super Gillies looks to open its account

CHENNAI: After suffering a narrow defeat in the tournament opener, Chepauk Super Gillies will be eager to open its account when it faces Siechem Madurai Panthers in the Tamil Nadu Premier League 2022 at the ICL Sankar Nagar Ground in Tirunelveli on Saturday.

In what was a nail-biting opening match on Thursday, Chepauk went down to Nellai Royal Kings in a ‘Super Over’. Although there is next to no time to reflect on the performance, the Kaushik Gandhi-led CSG would hope to deliver an improved show in its second assignment.

“The tournament runs fast. It is important that we get some momentum on our side. The next game comes very quickly, so we will have to put our hands up and perform,” Kaushik had said post the close loss to Nellai.

Kaushik, Harish Kumar and Sonu Yadav were the bright sparks for Chepauk in what was an otherwise disappointing effort against NRK. While Kaushik notched up a stroke-filled half-century, Harish and Sonu chipped in with valuable runs at a brisk pace. In form with the willow, the trio would be keen to continue its good work.

With bags of experience under their belt, wicketkeeper-batter Narayan Jagadeesan and left-arm spinner Manimaran Siddharth will look to guide the team to its maiden win this season. Meanwhile, the NS Chaturved-led Madurai is bolstered by the presence of mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who will be keen to weave his magic after an ordinary campaign with Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League 2022.

Panthers possesses quality players such as wicketkeeper KB Arun Karthick, left-arm orthodox bowler Aushik Srinivas and all-rounder J Kousik to pose a threat to Super Gillies.

In-form Nellai takes on Salem

High on confidence after pipping double defending champion Chepauk Super Gillies, Nellai Royal Kings will eye its second win in as many matches when it crosses swords with Salem Spartans in the Tamil Nadu Premier League 2022 in Tirunelveli on Saturday. All-rounder Sanjay Yadav and L Suryapprakash, the chief architects of Nellai’s ‘Super Over’ victory over Chepauk in the TNPL Season 6 opener, will be hungry to contribute big once again. After falling for single-digit scores in the first match, the Baba twins – skipper Indrajith and Aparajith – will be keen to stand up and deliver for the team’s cause. Meanwhile, the Murugan Ashwin-led Salem, handicapped by the unavailability of all-rounders Vijay Shankar and Washington Sundar, will have its task cut out against Nellai.