MATCH REPORT
Follow UsNellai Royal Kings wrapped up their Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) 2024 season with a win, defeating Dindigul Dragons by four wickets in their final league match on July 28 (Sunday). Nellai proved too strong for the Dindigul batters, who struggled throughout their innings. Despite losing wickets at the other end, Shivam Singh continued his impressive form to keep the scorecard ticking for the Dindigul.
The opener, who had previously notched a century to secure Dindigul's playoff spot in their last game, made 70 off 59 balls in this match, taking Dindigul to 136. Shivam Singh also became the leading run-scorer of Shriram Capital TNPL 2024. However, he lacked support from his teammates, with only Ravichandran Ashwin reaching double figures for the home side.
The innings witnessed three run-outs; Sonu Yadav bagged two wickets for the Nellai Royal Kings. Mohan Prasath was the most economical bowler, finishing with figures of 0/14 from his four overs. Additionally, J Rohan, R Silambarasan, NS Harish, and N Kabilan took one wicket apiece.
In response, KB Arun Karthick and G Ajitesh engineered a recovery for Nellai after the early dismissal of Suryapprakash for a duck. Ajitesh, who stepped in as captain for this game in place of Arun Karthick, maintained his dominance even after the latter's departure at 45 off 30 balls, taking the team over the line with an unbeaten 43 runs. He received valuable support from Sonu Yadav (15 off 8) and NS Harish (25 off 15).
Defending a below-par total, the Dindigul bowlers kept things tight throughout the innings. Ashwin and Varun Chakravarthy each claimed two wickets, while P Vignesh and VP Diran took one wicket apiece. However, it was not enough to seal the win for the home side.
With this loss, Dindigul Dragons finish fourth in the points table and will square off against the Chepauk Super Gillies in the Eliminator. Meanwhile, Shahrukh Khan-led Lyca Kovai Kings and Sai Kishore-led IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans will clash in the Qualifier 1.
Reflecting on the loss, Dindigul captain Ashwin said, "If we had posted around 160 runs, we would have won this game. Now, we need to play fearless cricket and focus on winning three matches in a row.
The player of the match, Nellai's captain Ajitesh, said, "I am thrilled with the victory. From the start of the season, my goal was to take the game deep and win for the team, and I managed to achieve that today. We will take the lessons from this season and aim to perform even better next time."
Reflecting on the loss, Dindigul's Dinesh Raj said, "We will work on correcting our mistakes from this game and continue to play fearless cricket."
Talking about the win, Nellai's J Rohan said, "I am delighted to play in front of my family. We came close to qualifying for the playoffs. If one of our games hadn't been abandoned due to rain, we might have made it."
Brief scores:
Dindigul Dragons 136 in 19.4 overs (Shivam Singh 70, Ravichandran Ashwin 15; Sonu Yadav 2/24) lost to Nellai Royal Kings 138/6 in 17.5 overs (Arun Karthik 45, Ajitesh G 43*; Varun Chakaravarthy 2/15) by 4 wickets
Player of the Match: Ajitesh G
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