NE SPORTS BUREAU
TIRUNELVELI, JUNE 25
The second match of the first double header of the 6th season of Shriram Capital Tamil Nadu Premier League saw the Nellai Royal Kings take on Salem Spartans, with Nellai recording their 2nd consecutive victory this season. All games till now have seen the team winning the toss put the opposition to bat first, and the same continued with Nellai Royal Kings winning the toss and inviting Salem Spartans to bat first. Batting first, Salem Spartans suffered quick blows with both openers Jafar Jamal (11) and Gopinath (10) falling cheaply. R Kavin and Daryl S Ferrario then combined for 91 run partnership for the 3rd wicket to lift Salem out of the slump. However, things took a big turn when the well-settled R Kavin (48 off 37 balls) and Ravi Karthikeyan(0) fell quickly to NS Harish, putting the game back in Nellai’s hands. Despite losing wickets at the other end, Daryl took up the responsibility and recorded his first half century in the Tamil Nadu Premier League. With only 124 runs on board at the end of 15 overs, Salem could add only 25 runs in the last five overs, thanks to a plethora of accurate death bowling by the Nellai team.
Daryl Ferrario top-scored for Salem Spartans and remained unbeaten with a 49 ball 60, propelling the team’s score to 149 by the end of their allotted 20 overs. Meanwhile, Athisayaraj Davidson and Harish Kumar were the pick of the bowlers for Nellai, capping two wickets each.
Chasing a target of 150 for victory, opener Pradosh Paul (1) fell early to Pranesh, giving Salem the much-needed start they were looking for. However, Suryapprakash and Baba Aparajith built a steady partnership adding 62 runs for the second wicket before debutant Kishoorpicked up Suryapprakash (35 off 27 balls). Then, Baba Aparajith (32 off 25balls) was run out, and many hopes were pinned on in form IPL star Sanjay Yadav. However, Sanjay Yadav (0) was unable to recreate his magic from the last match and was added to the wicket’s tally of debutant Kishoor G.
Ajitesh teamed up with captain Indrajith to put on a show for the 5th wicket, taking the Royal Kings to their second win of the season with a stunning performance. Ajitesh top-scored for Nellai with 48 * off 25 balls helping his team reach the target by 17.4 overs. The victory marked the second consecutive win for Nellai Royal Kings this season.
At the end of the first innings, Daryl SFerrario said, “The team did well to recover from the poor start, but an additional 15-20 runs would have changed the course of the game. Losing wickets at the regular intervals proved costly.”
A joyous Ajitesh, who won the man of the match award, stated, “The team gave me full support to play my natural game, and my captain Indrajith gave me excellent guidance in the middle.”
Winning Royal Kings captain Indrajith was all praises for young Ajitesh, stating, “Ajitesh is showing himself to be an outstanding player.” He also added, “The most important feat was to control the opponent within 150 runs. Although success is gratifying, it is still early days, and we still have a long way to go.”
Match Summary
Salem Spartans – 149/7 (20 overs)
DarylFerrario – 60 * (49) | R. Kavin – 48 (37)
Athisayaraj Davidson – 2/28 (4) | N.S. Harish – 2/30 (4)
Nellai Royal Kings – 152/5(17.4 overs)
Ajitesh G – 48* (25) | Suryapprakash – 35 (27) | Baba Aparajith – 32 (25) | Indrajith– 15 (20)
G Kishore – 2/40 (3) | Pranesh – 1/18 (2) | R Karthikeyan – 1/20 (3)
Awards:
SHRIRAM MAXIMUM FOURS Award received by Daryl S Ferrario
BOOM BOOM BOOMER SIXES for MOST NUMBER OF 6’S” Award received by Ajitesh
DREAM 11 GAME CHANGER OF THE MATCH award received by Ajitesh
GiggrFuturist award received by Ajitesh
Sonata Stylish Player of the Match received by R Kavin
Boost Stamina Star of the Match award received by B. Aparajith
SportsBuzz Catch of the Match award received by Suryapprakash
UPSTOX MOST VALUABLE ASSET OF THE MATCH received by Daryl S Ferrario
SHARON PLY STRONG PERFORMER received by Harish
SHRIRAM CAPITAL Player of the match received by Ajitesh
Man of the Match awards received by Ajitesh
Toss: Nellai Royal Kings won the toss and chose to field
Debutants: Nellai Royal Kings – Arya Yohan Menon
Salem Spartans – Jafar Jamal and Kishoor G
Sunday’s match: Lyca Kovai Kings vs Dindigul Dragons 7:15 pm
