TNPL 2019: Tuti Patriots scrape past Kovai Kings

Natham, July 26: Tuti Patriots withstood a belligerent charge from Anthony Dhas to upstage Kovai Kings by six runs in a rain-affected Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) match at the NPR College ground.

After Tuti Patriots rained a record number of sixes to post 155-5 in 13 overs, Kings appeared down for the count after losing three wickets in the first 10 balls. But Dhas made a bold bid for victory and held sway between the 7thand 12thovers by clobbering seven sixes and two fours in a 26-ball blitz of 63 runs.

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The Kovai outft, who were struggling at 62-4 in 6.1 overs, needing another 94 runs in 41 balls saw their hopes being ignited by Dhas' attacking strokeplay. The 31-year-old did not waste any time and went after S Senthilnathan's gentle medium-pace by smacking two back-to-back sixes in the 8thover and followed it up by a hat-trick of sixes in the next over bowled Tuti Patriots' captain Siva Subramania.

Kovai's best bowler, pacer Tamil Kumaran (2-18) was also not spared as Dhas hit him for a six off the first ball but the bowler kept him quiet for the rest of the over.

After 10 overs, Kings' score read 112-4, which was at par as Tuti Patriots (112-5) at that stage. Medium-pacer Athisayaraj Davidson was hit for two fours and a six off successive balls as Dhas completed his maiden 50 in TNPL off just 19 balls. It was the second-fastest 50 after Sundar Washington's 15-ball fifty for Tuti Patriots against Chepauk Super Gillies in 2017.

The equation was looking ominous for Tuti Patriots after 11 overs as Kovai were 131-4 needing another 25 runs off 12 balls. But the S Vasantha Saravanan got the 2016 champions back into the match by inducing an edge off the dangerous Dhas to wicketkeeper M Kamalesh. With his crafty medium pace, Saravanan not only claimed a prized scalp but conceded just five runs in the penultimate over that also saw a needless runout of another settled batsman Akkil Srinaath (32 off 21 balls, 1 four, 3 sixes).

Dhas and Srinaath were involved in the highest partnership of the match raising 71 runs off 32 balls with Srinaath's contribution being a mere four runs.

Tuti Patriots were in control of the proceedings once again with 20 needed for LKK to win. Senthilnathan began the final over by dismissing Malolan Rangarajan, who holed out in the deep and conceded just a wide in the next three balls. TP was assured of victory as 19 runs were needed off the last two balls but Jaganath Srinivas clouted two sixes to end the match in a flourish.

Earlier, put into bat, Tuti opener Akshay Srinivasan began the onslaught smashing four sixes in his 11-ball 31 before captain Subramania took charge by carting five sixes and two fours in his 21-ball 41. Together they raised 54 runs in just 19 balls for the second wicket.

S Abishiek (20 off 13 balls, 3 sixes) too joined the six-fest before Vasanth Saravanan (29 not out off 12 balls, 2 fours, 2 sixes) and SP Nathan (11 not out off 9 balls, 1 six) closed out the proceedings in style. Saravanan and Nathan collected 44 runs in 21 balls for the unbroken fifth wicket.

Medium-pacer Dhas (3-42) was the most successful of the bowler for LKK, picking two of his three wickets in his second over. He first claimed Subramania and then dismissed Abisheik in a space of four balls.

Brief scores:Tuti Patriots: 155-5 in 13 overs (Akshay V Srinivasan 31, V Subramania Siva 44, S Abishiek 20, Vasanth Saravanan 29 not out; Krishnamoorthy Vignesh 2-27, Anthony Dhas 3-42) beat Kovai Kings: 149-7 in 13 overs (N Mohammed Ashik 19, Akkil Srinaath 32, W Antony Dhas 63; V Athisayaraj Davidson 2-32, D Tamil Kumaran 2-18, S Vasanth Saravanan 1-5) by six runs.