Andre Siddarth smashed a 47-ball 82 as Vida Kovai Kings defeated Madurai Panthers by 84 runs at the MAC Stadium to win the 10th edition of the Tamil Nadu Premier League.
Celebrating his 20th birthday in style, Andre Siddarth smashed an 82 off 47 balls to power Vida Kovai Kings to an 84-run victory over Madurai Panthers in the TNPL summit clash at the MAC Stadium on Friday. The triumph marked Kovai Kings' third title in the competition's history.
Electing to bat, Kovai Kings posted 182 for seven in their 20 overs. Openers S. Radhakrishnan and S. Lokeshwar provided a breezy start before Andre joined B. Sachin (39) to construct a dominant 117-run third-wicket partnership. Andre, who was dropped on 44 by wicketkeeper Ramkumar off Rohan Bhutra, hit seven fours and five sixes, reaching his half-century in 34 balls. Though P. Saravanan pulled things back for Madurai Panthers with 4 for 30 in his spell, the damage had already been done.
Chasing 183, Madurai Panthers' innings unraveled early as openers fell in the first two overs to pacer Deeban Lingesh (2/30) and spinner M. Siddharth (3/18). N.S. Chaturved top-scored with 40, but a crucial run-out of V. Hari Ragavendra in the final over of the PowerPlay triggered a middle-order collapse. Jhathavedh Subramanyan and skipper Shahrukh Khan (3/10) cleaned up the rest as Panthers were bowled out for 98 in 14.2 overs.
The final victory completed a remarkable turnaround for M. Shahrukh Khan's side. Kovai Kings had secured just one victory from their opening four matches before stringing together five consecutive wins to claim the 10th edition of the tournament.
Reporting sourced from The Hindu Sport. Photo courtesy The Hindu Sport.