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Follow UsLyca Kovai Kings successfully defended their title after a massive victory over Nellai Royal Kings in the final at The India Cements Ltd Cricket Ground, Tirunelveli.
Lyca Kovai Kings dominated the match right from the beginning. After opting to bat first, Sujay started with a boundary in the first delivery of the final. He departed soon after being struck in front by Sandeep Warrier.
J Suresh Kumar got off the mark with a six over the mid-wicket and soon raced past the 50-run-mark in 28 deliveries. U Mukilesh complimented Suresh from the other end by playing the role of an anchor and accelerated during the latter part of the innings. Sonu Yadav broke the partnership in the 12th over by dismissing Suresh for 57 (33).
Coming in at five, Lyca Kovai Kings captain Shahrukh Khan couldn't make an impact in the final and departed for 7(5) in the next over.
Lyca Kovai Kings reached the 150-mark in the 16th over and added 55 more in the final four, thanks to Atheeq Ur Rahman's aggressive batting(50 off 21 balls). Mukilesh provided the necessary support from the other end with 51*(40).
Lyca Kovai Kings ended their 20 overs with 205 for 5. For Nellai Royal Kings, Sonu and Warrier grabbed two wickets, and Mohan Prasath fetched one wicket. Chasing 205 to win, Nellai Royal Kings lost R Sri Neranjan and Ajitesh Guruswamy in the space of two deliveries. The captain Arun Karthick began his innings well and even fetched 23 runs off Gowtham Kannan's over. However, he could not continue the carnage, as Shahrukh Khan got the better of him in the 5th over. Later, with the dismissal of Nidhish Rajagopal, Shahrukh Khan became the Ather Purple Cap holder of this season.
After his dismissal, the team crumbled under pressure and could not recover. Jhathavedh Subramanyan dismissed the heroes of Qualifier 2- Rithik Easwaran and Sonu on consecutive deliveries and then dismissed Harish in his next over to push Nellai Royal Kings seven down.
Mohammed later dismissed Mohan Prasath, and Jhathavedh clinched his 4th wicket by taking off Suryaprakash. After three sixes, M Poiyamozhi had to depart for 19(7).
In the bowling department, Jhathavedh dominated with 4 for 21. He had the support of the captain Shahrukh Khan, who ended his four overs with 3 for 16.
In the last edition, Lyca Kovai Kings shared the trophy with the Chepauk Super Gillies, as the final was washed out due to rain. This year, Lyca Kovai Kings topped the league table and became the 1st team to reach the final and successfully defended the trophy.
The player of the final, Jhathavedh Subramanyan, said: I'm really happy. Our captain told us to concentrate more on our work rather than thinking about the result. I tried to bowl slower ones in the final, and it went well. Credits to our coaches and management.
The TNPL 2023 Player of the tournament, G Ajitesh, said: It is disappointing to be on the losing side. We did not field well, and we did not build partnerships too. This season has been my best. As a team, we will come back stronger in the next edition.
TNPL 2023 Runners Up, Nellai Royal Kings, captain KB Arun Karthick said: Nothing went right for us today. Credits go to Lyca Kovai Kings. Sharukh has been a good leader. Most importantly, in this season, we had many positives. We might not have a lot of superstars, but we have several future superstars in the team. I want to dedicate this runners-up trophy to the late V B Chandrasekhar sir. He was the one who started everything with this team. I would have been happy if we had won today. I am sure he will be blessing us from above.
TNPL 2023 winner Lyca Kovai Kings captain Shahrukh Khan said: Full credit goes to the management. Right from the auction to the team selection, they gave me full freedom. We did not do anything special. We just realized our responsibility and worked according to that. We won.
(Image and Match Report courtesy: TNPL)
