Shivam Singh’s 51-ball 78 (6×4, 5×6) helped Dindigul Dragons beat Trichy Grand Cholas by 16 runs within the eighth season of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) on the Salem Cricket Basis (SCF) floor right here on Saturday.
Shivam was an absolute pleasure to observe as a freed-up well-connecting batter in a T20 match all the time is. He was as assured as a superhero, particularly when he took on the pacers. Each time he hit a six off them, it was with the intent of smashing a colliding meteor to smithereens.
At the least, it appeared so when he charged at Athisayaraj Davidson to dismiss him over the lengthy off boundary, imperiously pulled Ok. Easwaran over the deep sq. leg boundary, and opened the face of the bat for a bunt over the deep cowl boundary mustered a heave to the long-on boundary for back-to-back sixes off Saravana Kumar.
However Easwaran, who’d claimed two early wickets, helped Trichy to tug Dindigul right down to 160 for eight. The ball held on at instances, and it value Shivam as he toed a catch too lengthy on within the seventeenth over.
A ball later, S. Dinesh Raj and C. Sarath Kumar mistimed to be caught at long-on and canopy within the final two balls of the identical over. Easwaran completed with one of the best bowling figures within the TNPL historical past (six for 32), as he returned to finish a hat-trick on the primary supply of his closing over – G. Kishoor top-edged a back-of-the-hand slower ball to lengthy on.
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Within the second match of the day, Siechem Madurai Panthers’ plight was even worse than Trichy’s, as R. Kavin (70, 45b, 5×4, 5×6) for SKM Salem Spartans was in a greater hitting type than Shivam and it had nobody to do what Easwaran did to mitigate the injury.
Standing tall, he lifted a full supply outdoors off over the quilt boundary for a six-off medium-pacer S. Shankar Ganesh. In all its glory, it was the shot of the match that additionally outlined his innings.
Left-hander Vishal Vaidhya additionally chipped in with an unbeaten 56 (33b, 6×4, 1×6) for Salem to publish 180 for seven.
For Madurai, S. Lokeshwar paid again with a ruthless and relentless 38-ball 69 (8×4, 3×6). He was concerned in a 79-run second-wicket partnership with J. Kousik (57, 46b, 4×4, 2×6).
When the chase had been introduced right down to 14 off six balls from 33 off three overs, Murugan Ashwin (20, 5b, 3×6) smashed three successive sixes off medium-pacer Sunny Sandhu for Madurai to get dwelling by 4 wickets.
The scores:
Dindigul Dragons 160/8 in 20 overs (Shivam Singh 78, Baba Indrajith 33, Ok. Easwaran 6/32) bt Trichy Grand Cholas 144/8 in 20 overs (R. Rajkumar 31, R. Ashwin 3/18).
SKM Salem Spartans 180/7 in 20 overs (R. Kavin 70, Vishal Vaidhya 56 n.o., Murugan Ashwin 3/20) misplaced to Siechem Madurai Panthers 185/6 in 19.3 overs (S. Lokeshwar 69, J. Kousik 57).