MATCH REPORT
Follow UsThe Siechem Madurai Panthers registered a hat-trick of wins in the Tamil Nadu Premier League as they chased down 106 in 17 overs at Salem Cricket Foundation Ground on Thursday.
Ba11sy Trichy had an unfortunate start to their innings after opting to bat first. Ganga Sridhar Raju had to walk back for a golden duck after Washington Sundar got him out in the first ball of the match.
T. Saran, who is making his TNPL debut, walked in earlier than he would have expected. The debutant did not last long, as Gurjapneet Singh dismissed him for just five runs in the second over. Siechem Madurai Panthers kept things tight as Ba11sy Trichy batters struggled to middle the ball.
Mani Bharathy was the star with the bat today. He notched up 48 runs off 40 deliveries to take the team over the century mark. However, the wickets kept tumbling at the other end.
Saravanan struck three times in the same over to push back the Ba11sy Trichy team. Interestingly, this is the second time in TNPL 2023 that a bowler from the Siechem Madurai Panthers has picked up three wickets in an over. Ajay Krishna's penultimate over in the last game against Chepauk Super Gillies turned things around for the men in Madurai in the previous match.
Trichy found themselves at 89/6 after 15 overs, and they needed something big in the last five overs to get to a decent total, but they couldn't find the momentum and reached only 105 runs in their 20 overs. The team lost seven wickets for 31 runs in the last five overs. Overall, only three players got into double figures.
Siechem Madurai Panthers dominated the first half of the play. The former champions used six bowlers; everyone grabbed at least one wicket, and none conceded more than seven runs per over. Saravanan was the pick of the bowlers, with three scalps. Gurjapneet Singh and Ajay Krishna bagged two wickets, while Washington Sundar, Murugan Ashwin, and Swapnil Singh picked up one each.
Defending a below-par total, Ba11sy Trichy had to attack right from ball one. Therefore, they made T Natarajan bowl three overs in a row. He responded well by dismissing Hari Nishaanth early. The Siechem Madurai Panthers captain, who is playing his 50th TNPL match today, was surprised by Natarajan's bounce and got out for 11.
Suresh Lokeshwar entertained the crowd with his 32. He smashed three fours off K Easwaran's over earlier in the inning. K. Easwaran picked up two wickets to keep Ba11sy Trichy in the game. The middle overs went to Ba11sy Trichy, as the Siechem Madurai Panthers managed only 21 runs in the 7–12 overs.
After Suresh Lokeshwar's dismissal, Washington Sundar joined hands with Swapnil Singh to take the match deep. The team needed 26 in the last five overs. Washington Sundar released the pressure by smashing a six-over midwicket in the 16th over.
Swapnil Singh then took on Godson to hit two sixes and a four to finish the match with three overs in the bag, knocking Ba11sy Trichy out of the TNPL 2023. On the other hand, the Siechem Madurai Panthers move ahead of the Chepauk Super Gillies to grab the fourth spot in the points table.
The Player of the match, P Saravanan, said: Our plan was not to give more runs at this venue. I think my strength is bowling at the right line and length. I did the same today as well.
The losing captain, Ganga Sridhar Raju, said, It is disappointing to see consecutive losses. Also, my personal form is not good as well. In the upcoming games, we will try to avoid mistakes and pick up wins as much as possible.
The winning captain, Hari Nishaanth, said, The hat-trick wins have given us huge confidence. But the true competition begins now, as we all fight for the top four. Madurai will put up a good fight in those matches and try to win them all.
With this, the Salem phase of the TNPL 2023 gets over. The caravan now moves to Tirunelveli. India Cements Cricket Ground will host all the matches in the Tirunelveli phase.
On Saturday, the Salem Spartans and the iDream Tiruppur Tamizhans will face off in the first match of the doubleheader. Salem Spartans are in 7th place with one win from five matches. They will take on the iDream Tiruppur Tamizhans, who have two wins from five appearances.
The Nellai Royal Kings will lock horns with the Dindigul Dragons in the second match of the day. Both teams have four wins from five matches. The winner of this contest will guarantee a spot in the final four of the TNPL in 2023.
(Image and Match Report courtesy: TNPL)
