TNPL 2022: CSG beat LKK by 5 wickets

CHENNAI: Opener Narayan Jagadeesan and R Sai Kishore rose to the occasion as Chepauk Super Gillies defeated Lyca Kovai Kings by five wickets in the Tamil Nadu Premier League 2022 at the Sri Ramakrishna College Ground in Coimbatore on Tuesday.

Double defending champion Chepauk notched up its second successive victory and has now earned four points from as many matches while Kovai has four points from five games. Invited to bat, Kings put 170 for seven on the board on its own patch, riding on skipper Shahrukh Khan’s unbeaten 51 (28 balls, 2 fours, 5 sixes).

Kovai had been in a spot of bother at 93 for five, but Shahrukh and Abhishek Tanwar (28 off 12 balls, 2 fours, 2 sixes) guided the team to a fighting total. Left-arm spinner Sai Kishore (2/25 off 4 overs) was the pick of the Chepauk bowlers, scalping two while staying economical throughout.

Fellow left-arm orthodox bowler Manimaran Siddharth (1/24 off 4 overs), who had provided the initial breakthrough by removing Ashwin Venkataraman (6), too kept things tight. In the chase, Super Gillies was struggling at 48 for three in the seventh over. However, Jagadeesan (75 off 51 balls, 6 fours, 3 sixes) and Sai Kishore (48 off 33 balls, 1 four, 4 sixes) stitched a 92-run stand for the fourth wicket, which was crucial in the end.

Southpaw Sai Kishore’s promotion to No.5 worked wonders as he took the attack to the opposition. Although Sai Kishore departed when the scorecard read 140 for four, Jagadeesan took Chepauk closer to victory with a humongous 18th over, where he hit two maximums and a four off Kovai pacer R Divakar. Despite the best efforts of Abhishek (3/20), who bagged three wickets, Chepauk got home with seven balls to spare.

“We needed this win. Every match is important and we are very happy to win this match. I have always put in the hard yards. I am batting a lot better this season,” said ‘Man of the Match’ Sai Kishore after the win.

BRIEF SCORES: Lyca Kovai Kings 170/7 in 20 overs (Shahrukh Khan 51*, R Sai Kishore 2/25) lost to Chepauk Super Gillies 171/5 in 18.5 overs (Narayan Jagadeesan 75, R Sai Kishore 48, Abhishek Tanwar 3/20)