Lyca Kovai Kings beat Trichy to extend unbeaten run in TNPL 2024 | Tamil Nadu Premier League, 2024

Shahrukh Khan led the Lyca Kovai Kings’ bowling attack as the reigning champions secured a comfortable eight-wicket win over Trichy Grand Cholas at SNR College Cricket Ground on Tuesday.

Opting to bowl first, Kovai made a promising start as Manimaran Siddharth’s frugal opening innings, conceding just four runs in his first two overs, set the tone for the team. The reigning champions tightened their grip as Shahrukh Khan quickly dismissed Waseem Ahmed and Antony Dhas in successive deliveries in his first over.

The captain continued to be a master of spin in his next stint as well, dismissing Nirmal Kumar to become the highest wicket-taker in the TNPL 2024. Jhathavedh Subramanyan added to Trichy’s woes by ending Saravana Kumar’s innings later in the match.

Trichy Grand Cholas, who had entered the match full of confidence thanks to back-to-back wins, struggled to hold their own against the reigning champions and were still at 37/6 at the end of the tenth over.

Sanjay Yadav and Jafar Jamal joined forces once again to rescue Trichy Grand Cholas from a sticky situation. The duo’s 56-run stand for the seventh wicket proved crucial in lifting Trichy to a competitive score. Sanjay Yadav departed after a crucial 27-ball 34. The all-rounder is currently the leading run-scorer of TNPL 2024, he also became the first player to hit 100 sixes in TNPL.

Jafar Jamal, on the other hand, finished with an unbeaten 41. He hit 20 runs in the last over to take the team to 124/9 in their 20 overs.

In the bowling department, Manimaran Siddharth made an impressive early start but unfortunately ended his tenure without taking any wickets, with 0/21. Shahrukh Khan and M Mohammed were the standouts, with three wickets each, while Yudheeswaran and Jhathavedh took one wicket each.

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 on 39-ball 48.

With this win, Lyca Kovai Kings further consolidated their position at the top with four consecutive wins this season. They remain the only unbeaten team in this edition of the competition. Despite a forgettable exit, Trichy Grand Cholas are in third place in the standings, thanks to their strong net run rate.

Expressing his thoughts after the loss, Trichy captain Antony Dhas said: Credit goes to Sanjay Yadav and Jafar Jamal for saving us with the bat. The toss was a major factor today. Also, I felt if we had 15-20 runs more, we would have made the match exciting. The top-order batsmen need to take more responsibility from the next match onwards. However, it was a great effort by 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 of the team, I knew the team needed an off-spinner in the middle overs, I brought in a chip and it worked. The team and the management are happy with the way things are going at the moment. Hopefully, we can continue like this in the coming matches as well.

Speaking about the win, Lyca Kovai Kings wicketkeeper Suresh Kumar said: We don’t look too much at the result but stay true to the process. The team plays one match at a time, which worked well for us. Also, this is my home stadium and it’s always exciting to play in front of my family.

Trichy Grand Cholas spinner Kannan Vignesh said: If we had got close to 160, it would have been a competitive total at this venue. If we look at it, we have batting depth and have scored close to 180 runs in all the matches so far. We will learn from this match and try to turn the tide.

Brief scores: LKK 125/2 in 16.1 overs (U Mukilesh 63*, S Sujay 48*; V Athisayaraj Davidson 2/19) defeated TGC 124/9 in 20 overs (J Jamal 41*, Sanjay Yadav 34; Shahrukh Khan 3/13) with 8 wickets

Player of the Match: Shahrukh Khan