MATCH REPORT
Follow UsShahrukh Khan led the Lyca Kovai Kings’ bowling attack as the defending champions took a comfortable eight-wicket victory over Trichy Grand Cholas at SNR College Cricket Ground on Tuesday.
Choosing to bowl first, Kovai made a promising start as Manimaran Siddharth's economical opening spell, conceding just four runs from his initial two overs, set the tone for the team. The defending champions tightened their grip when Shahrukh Khan swiftly removed Waseem Ahmed and Antony Dhas in consecutive deliveries during his first over.
The captain's spin mastery continued in his subsequent spell, dismissing Nirmal Kumar to become the leading wicket-taker in the TNPL 2024. Jhathavedh Subramanyan further compounded Trichy's woes by ending Saravana Kumar's innings later in the match.
Trichy Grand Cholas, coming with confidence from consecutive victories into this game, struggled to find their footing against the defending champions and found themselves reeling at 37/6 by the end of the 10th over.
Sanjay Yadav and Jafar Jamal combined forces again to rescue Trichy Grand Cholas from a difficult position. The duo's 56-run stand for the seventh wicket proved pivotal in lifting Trichy to a competitive score. Sanjay Yadav departed after a crucial 27-ball 34. The all-rounder is the leading run-scorer of TNPL 2024 at the moment, he also became the first player to hit 100 sixes in TNPL.
On the other hand, Jafar Jamal finished with an unbeaten 41. He smashed 20 runs in the final over to take the team to 124/9 in their 20 overs.
In the bowling department, Manimaran Siddharth made an impactful start early on but unfortunately ended his spell without taking any wickets, finishing with 0/21. Shahrukh Khan and M Mohammed were the standout performers, securing three wickets each, while Yudheeswaran and Jhathavedh contributed with one wicket apiece.
Chasing a below-par total of 125 for victory, S Sujay and U Mukilesh orchestrated a recovery after the early dismissals of Suresh Kumar and Sai Sudharsan. Athisayaraj Davidson was the main threat with the ball, taking two wickets. However, with the required run rate well within reach throughout the innings, the duo adopted a calm approach, adding an unbeaten 118 runs and anchoring the chase effectively. Mukilesh finished with 63*(54), while Sujay remained unbeaten at 39-ball 48.
With this victory, the Lyca Kovai Kings further solidified their position at the top with four consecutive wins this season. They remain the only unbeaten team in this edition of the league. Despite a forgettable outing, Trichy Grand Cholas hold the third position in the standings, thanks to their strong net run rate.
Expressing his thoughts after the loss, Trichy's captain Antony Dhas said: Credit goes to Sanjay Yadav and Jafar Jamal to rescue us with the bat. The toss was an important factor today. Also, I felt if we had 15-20 runs more, we would have taken the game close. The top-order batters must take more responsibility from the next game. However, it was a great effort from our bowling unit.
The winning captain, Lyca Kovai Kings' Shahrukh Khan, who is also the player of the match, said: I don't practice bowling in the nets. When I took over the captaincy for the team, I knew the team needed an off-spinner in the middle overs, I chipped in, and it worked out. The team and the management are happy with the way things are going at the moment. Hopefully, we will continue the same in the upcoming matches as well.
Talking about the win, Lyca Kovai Kings' wicket-keeper Suresh Kumar said: We don't look too much into the result but stay true to the process. The team takes one match at a time, which worked well for us. Also, this is my home ground and to play before my family is always exciting.
Trichy Grand Cholas spinner Kannan Vignesh said: If we had close to 160, it would have been a competitive total at this venue. If we look at it, we have batting depth and scored close to 180 runs in all the matches so far. We will learn from this game and will look to turn things around.
Brief scores: LKK 125/2 in 16.1 overs (U Mukilesh 63*, S Sujay 48* ; V Athisayaraj Davidson 2/19) beat TGC 124/9 in 20 overs (J Jamal 41*, Sanjay Yadav 34; Shahrukh Khan 3/13) by 8 wickets
Player of the Match: Shahrukh Khan
