TNPL 2024: Sanjay's half-century takes Trichy to second spot

COIMBATORE: Trichy Grand Cholas defeated SKM Salem Spartans by 35 runs at SNR College Cricket Ground to move to the second spot in the points table on Sunday.

Trichy Grand Cholas, fresh off breaking a nine-match losing streak, were put in to bat first by SKM Salem Spartans. The team's top-order made brief cameos but failed to convert them into substantial scores, leaving Trichy struggling at 54/3 by the 10th over.

However, Sanjay Yadav and Jafar Jamal rescued the team by adding a rapid 77 runs off just 44 balls, injecting momentum and setting the stage for a strong finish. Thanks to Sanjay Yadav's 68 off 33, Trichy capitalized on this partnership and amassed 74 runs in their final four overs to propel their total to 198 in 20 overs.

In the bowling department, Salem pacer Poiyamozhi was at the receiving end, despite picking three wickets. He ended with 3/56. Yazh Arun Mozhi and Aushik Srinivas also contributed with a wicket each to their name. Chasing 199 for victory, Salem batters found it difficult to keep the required run rate in check, losing wickets at regular intervals. Initially, Vivek's brisk

33 off just 10 balls gave them a promising start, while Muhammed Adnan Khan's 40 off 31 deliveries helped sustain their momentum and kept them in contention during the chase. Sunny Sandhu also provided some glimmer of hope with a quick 15-ball 29, but he ran out of partners at the other end.

Salem fell 35 runs short of the target. Trichy now moves to second spot in the points table after today's victory. After the loss, SKM Salem Spartans captain Shijit Chandran said: We lost things in the bowlers, especially, in the final ten overs. We gave away a lot of runs. Chasing 199, we had to go for big shots but unfortunately, we kept losing wickets and the game We have a lot of good positives to take from this game and will look to come back stronger in the next.

The player of the match, Sanjay Yadav, said: The plan was to take the game deep. We were looking for something around 170 but it was an excellent effort in the end from everyone to win this.

The winning captain, Anthony Dhas said: Good to see the comeback. It is definitely a team effort throughout. Sanjay Yadav and Jafar Jamal set up the things for us. I kept telling our bowlers to stay positive. They were executing things well today.

Brief Scores: Trichy Grand Cholas 198/5 in 20 overs (Sanjay Yadav 68, M Poiyamozhi 3/56) bt. SKM Salem Spartans 163 in 18.3 overs (Muhammed Adnan Khan 40, Saravana Kumar 3/28)