MATCH REPORT
Follow UsMadurai Panthers held their nerve to secure a thrilling four-wicket victory over Salem Spartans in Match 3 of the Capital Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) 2024 in Salem.
Spartans won the toss and opted to bat first, becoming the first team to do so in this edition. Abishiek Selvakumar and R Kavin set the tone with an explosive start, forging a partnership that yielded 50 runs for the first wicket. Ramadoss Alexandar broke the stand in the final over of the powerplay, dismissing Abishiek for 18-ball 20.
After Robin Bist's early dismissal, Vishal Vaidhya and Kavin teamed up to establish an excellent 66-run partnership, propelling their team to a commanding total of 180 for 7 in their allotted 20 overs.
Kavin achieved his TNPL career-best, smashing 70 runs off just 45 balls. On the other hand, Vishal Vaidhya marked his fourth TNPL half-century with an unbeaten innings of 56 runs off 33 balls, ensuring a strong finish for their side. In the bowling department for the Panthers, Murugan Ashwin returned with 3/20 from his four overs, while Ramadoss Alexandar grabbed two wickets.
In response, Suresh Lokeshwar took charge of the chase for the Panthers. Despite the early dismissal of their captain, Hari Nishaanth, Lokeshwar showcased dominance with the bat, reaching his half-century in just 25 deliveries, the fastest of this edition.
Meanwhile, J Kousik played a pivotal role as the anchor in their partnership, ensuring that Suresh remained on strike as much as possible to keep the required run rate in check. The duo added 79 runs for the second wicket before Suresh departed for his TNPL career-best of 69 runs from 38 deliveries.
J Kousik shifted gears after Lokeshwar's departure, reaching his maiden TNPL fifty in just 39 deliveries. However, Aushik Srinivas's dismissal of Sasidev (13 off 10), Poiyamozhi removing Swapnil Singh (1 off 2), and Kousik (57 off 46) falling to Sunny Sandhu effectively brought Salem back into the game.
In a dramatic finish, the Panthers required 14 runs from the final over. The experienced Ashwin sealed the victory by hitting three successive sixes in the first three balls of the over, leading his team to a thrilling win by four wickets.
Talking about the loss during the presentation, Spartans captain Shijit Chandran said: We felt 160 is a par score at this venue. Of course, 180 is a good score. We thought we would win, but we leaked more runs in the powerplay. Credit to their batters. If we had restricted the runs in the powerplay, we would have won with ease.
The Player of the Match in the game, Ashwin, said, "In recent times, I have been concentrating more on batting and also on hitting sixes. Kavin was batting well and I had to change my line and length accordingly to dismiss him. I'm glad that we won our first match of the season."
Winning captain Nishaanth said, "I thought this was a huge score but since we bat deep, we were able to chase this down. In the end, Ashwin batted really well. Lokeshwar has been performing well since the last edition. Lokeshwar and Kousik batted responsibly to take us through."
During the press conference, Madurai's Swapnil Singh said, "The wicket was nice to bat on in the second innings. We were all hoping Ashwin to take us through, and he did. It was a good game for us and glad that we won."
Vishal Vaidhya of Salem Spartans said, "The pitch was better than the first two matches here. We began with the bat really well and must have crossed 200 runs with ease. Unfortunately, we couldn't finish it better."
Brief scores:
Salem Spartans 180/7 in 20 overs (R Kavin 70, Vishal Vaidhya 56*; Murugan Ashwin 3/20) lost to Madurai Panthers 185/6 in 19.3 overs (Suresh Lokeshwar 69, Jagatheesan Kousik 57; M Poiyamozhi 2/30) by 4 wickets
Player of the Match: Murugan Ashwin
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