TNPL 2018: Madurai Panthers Thrash Tuti Patriots in Clinical Run-Chase

In the ongoing Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) of season third, Madurai Panthers clinched a second consecutive victory in the tournament which set them on a roll.

The target was not alarming from TNPL franchise Tuti Patriots, and the openers of Madurai ensured there was no question of low-scoring battle whatsoever.

Arun Karthik racked up his sixth fifty in his TNPL career which was followed by a middle-order slump.

However, it did not prove costlier for Panthers as they achieved a comprehensive victory of seven wickets. Patriots record their first loss of the season after winning the first two games.

Summary of the match:

While batting first, Patriots put a formidable total of 165 runs for the loss of five wickets. They lost their skipper early on with his score of 11 runs.

S Dinesh and Subramanian Anand added 44 runs for the second-wicket on a good-looking surface.

Dinesh scored 35 off 29 balls and his partner Anand got 44 off 35 deliveries. Soon after the loss of Dinesh, Akshay Srinivasan joined the crease and kept the scorecard ticking. He scored 42 off 29 balls.

An illustration of the chase:

In reply to the total of 166, Panthers reached the target with eight balls to spare. Arun Karthik and D Rohit put an opening partnership of 71 balls. Karthik scored 59 off 42 balls whereas, Rohit scored 28 off 20 balls.

Soon Rohit fell, Shijit Chandran joined the middle as he scored a dynamic knock of 29 runs.

J Kousik made a significant impact at the end as he got 38 off 23 balls. For Madurai Panthers, Karthik bagged the Man of the Match.

Who said what:

“We were at least 15 runs short. Credit to our bowlers for taking it so deeply. If there was a side to defend that total, it was our attack. We are not going to get 60/0 every time. So we should be ready for other situations as well.” – Kaushik Gandhi, the losing skipper, said.

“After a very long time, Madurai is winning back to back games. Thanks to the crowd. The jinx is broken now, and we have beaten two champion sides. We are not satisfied and are hungry for more.” – D Rohit, the winning skipper stated.