Sai Kishore en route his fifty.
| Photo Credit: G. KARTHIKEYAN
R. Sai Kishore, for a change, let his bat do the talking as he stroked a well-paced half-century (55, 34b, 8×4, 1×6) that set-up a comfortable 69-run win for IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans over Nellai Royal Kings in the penultimate league game of TNPL-9 at the NPR College ground here on Sunday.
The victory meant Tamizhans finished second in the standings and will meet Chepauk Super Gillies in Qualifier-1 on Tuesday.
Sai Kishore’s knock consolidated a good platform set by the openers V.P. Amith Sathvik and Tushsar Raheja, which helped his side post a formidable total of 182 for five.
Though the in-form Tushar was out of sorts in the PowerPlay, Amith more than made up for it, smashing pacer Emmanuel Cherian for four boundaries and a stylishly cut six over point.
Tushar then found his rhythm in the seventh over, cutting and pulling left-arm spinner Sachin Rathi before Sonu Yadav snared him with a brilliant return catch.
Sai Kishore used his long levers effectively and kept it simple by looking to hit down the ground, with five of his eight boundaries in the ‘V’.
Later, he picked a slower one from Sonu and launched over midwicket as he raced to his landmark.
In reply, the Royal Kings’ pursuit hit a roadblock early when left-arm spinner S. Mohan Prasath struck off consecutive deliveries in the sixth over and managed just 26 for three in the PowerPlay.
G. Ajithesh and S. Rithik Easwaran kept the hopes flickering briefly, getting their side to 76 for three in 11 overs, but once the former was dismissed, the fight and the hope of qualification flamed out.
Thriller
In the final league match, Trichy Grand Cholas pulled off a heist and sneaked into the playoffs with a four-wicket win over Dindigul Dragons in a thriller that went down to the wire. The victory meant SKM Salem Spartans lost out on fourth place on Net Run Rate despite being tied on six points with Trichy.
Electing to bat, Dragons managed just 150 for six riding on Vimal Khumar’s unbeaten 55. In pursuit, Grand Cholas were in huge trouble at 24 for four in the fifth over. However, a 98-run fifth-wicket alliance between J. Kousik (42) and R. Sanjay Yadav (55 n.o.) turned the tide for the Trichy side.
These teams will now meet again in the Eliminator clash on Wednesday.
The scores: IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans 182/5 in 20 overs (V.P. Amith Sathvik 41, Tushar Raheja 32, R. Sai Kishore 55, Sonu Yadav 3/33) bt Nellai Royal Kings 113 in 19.4 overs (S. Rithik Easwaran 39, T. Natarajan 3/14, S. Mohan Prasath 2/28). Toss: NRK.
Dindigul Dragons 150/6 in 20 overs (Shivam Singh 37, R. Vimal Khumar 55 n.o., V. Athisayaraj Davidson 2/30, Saravana Kumar 2/19) lost to Trichy Grand Cholas 151/6 in 19.3 overs (J. Kousik 42, R. Sanjay Yadav 55 n.o., Periyasamy 2/38, Sasidharan 2/23). Toss: Dragons.
Published – June 29, 2025 11:22 pm IST
