TNPL 2018: Lyca Kovai Kings Register Second Win Following Shahrukh Khan's Heroics

The match number 13 of Tamil Nadu Premier League’s (TNPL) edition third turned out to be an unlucky one for its franchise Ruby Trichy Kerela. They faced first defeat of the season courtesy Lyca Kovai Kings.

They have faced an eight-wicket defeat at the hands of Lyca Kovai Kings at the NPR college grounds at Natham in Dindigul.

Summary of the match:

After being asked to bat first, S Ajith Ram removed Trichy skipper B Indrajith early on. He fell cheaply while being struck in front of the wickets. Trichy lost their first wicket on 24 runs.

Apart from Suresh Kumar, no other batsman of Kerela could score freely as he scored a much-needed run-a-ball 35. He was later caught and bowled by T Natarajan. Ruby Trichy Kerela eventually set a target of 125.

Picture of the chase:

While replying to a target what appeared to be a fighting total, Lyca Kovai Kings got a flier. The opening batsman of Kings, Shahrukh Khan reached his fifty off 30 balls, before he was departed for 67 off 40 balls.

Abhinav Mukund, the skipper of Lyca Kings along with Shahrukh, amassed 51 runs in the powerplay. Subsequently, Kings were handed an easy victory with 38 balls to spare.

Also, Abhinav Mukund scored 42 off 35 as the opening duo put a partnership of 96 runs in 11 overs.

Moreover, the skipper praised the top-order batsman Shahrukh Khan of Lyca Kovai Kings soon after the TNPL fixture.

Who said what

“I don’t think the break between games mattered much. We need to focus on the right things. We practiced a lot during the break, so I don’t think it mattered a lot. When you are winning games, you want to play regularly, but it’s not in our control. It’s important to focus on things that are under our control going ahead.” – Baba Indrajit, the losing skipper.

“We have considerable bench strength. That’s what Shahrukh’s role is in the powerplay. His strike rate against left-arm spin has improved. He has come out trumps on most times, so I don’t want to jinx him. The way he is going, it’s difficult to stop him. The management is very calm, they’re not too excited. It’s important to keep the balance. It can be anyone’s playoff, we are taking it one game at a time.” – Abhinav Mukund, the winning skipper.