MATCH REPORT
Follow UsLyca Kovai Kings continued their unbeaten run in the TNPL 2024 as they defeated Nellai Royal Kings by nine wickets in a rain-hit clash on July 13 (Saturday).
In a repeat of last year's final, Lyca Kovai Kings opted to bowl first in challenging windy conditions. The defending champions got off to a positive start as Manimaran Siddharth dismissed Mokit Hariharan early in the innings.
NS Harish and Arun Karthick then formed a steady partnership, adding 60 runs for the second wicket. Harish played aggressively, scoring 29 off just 20 balls before being dismissed, while the skipper held the innings together with a composed 47 off 38 balls.
However, Lyca Kovai Kings staged a comeback right after Harish and Arun Karthick's dismissal by removing G Ajitesh, Nidhish Rajagopal, and Suryapprakash cheaply, putting pressure on the batting side. Sonu Yadav then scripted a recovery by adding an unbeaten 43 runs off 26 balls. His late surge helped the team to add 49 runs in the last four overs, finishing with 167/7.
Lyca Kovai Kings used six bowlers, with Shahrukh Khan leading them from the front with 2/30. Mohammed also grabbed two wickets, while Siddharth, Jhathavedh Subramanyan, and Yudheeswaran picked up one wicket apiece.
Earlier during the toss, Lyca Kovai Kings captain Shahrukh Khan mentioned that he chose to bowl first because he anticipated rain during the latter part of the game. As predicted, rain did interrupt the match, significantly altering the game conditions.
The wet and slippery conditions made it hard for the bowlers to grip the ball effectively. This made things easier for Kovai batters, as Sachin and Suresh Kumar effectively added 144 runs for the second wicket after the early dismissal of Sai Sudharsan.
Suresh Kumar remained unbeaten with 63 runs, while Sachin had to retire after injuring his knee at 76(48). During his knock, Sachin also became the leading run-scorer of TNPL 2024.
Lyca Kovai Kings remain the only unbeaten team in this edition and move back to the top of the points table. This is also the defending champions' 10th consecutive victory in TNPL. Meanwhile, Nellai Royal Kings, having suffered their first defeat of the season, dropped down to the second spot in the standings.
The losing captain, Nellai Royal Kings Arun Karthick, said: "We cannot beat nature, unfortunately. The rain did make things in the second innings for the bowlers. It was very challenging for the bowlers throughout. Credits to Kovai bowlers and Shahrukh Khan for the way they bowled. I felt like if we didn't lose wickets in the middle overs, we could have got to a better total than this."
The winning captain, Lyca Kovai Kings' Shahrukh Khan said: "Happy to win our 10th consecutive match in TNPL. We take it one game at a time. Also, it is always a good feeling to win at the home, Coimbatore."
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