CHENNAI: Defending champion Dindigul Dragons shone with both ball and bat, as Shivam Singh's 86 propelled the team to a nine-wicket victory over Siechem Madurai Panthers in the second TNPL game on Saturday.

Put in to bat, Madurai were given a 43-run start in 4.1 overs by left-hander B Anirudh Sitaram (31, 24b, 3x4, 2x6) and Ram Arvindh (18). However, Dindigul quickly took control once spinners Varun Chakravarthy and DT Chandrasekar dismissed the openers.

Openers Ravichandran Ashwin and last season's top scorer gave Dindigul a solid start, which helped them cross the line and seal the win.

Brief scores: Madurai Panthers 150/8 in 50 overs (B Anirudh Sitaram 31, Atheeq Ur Rahman 50, DT Chandrasekar 2/27, G Periyasamy 2/40) lost to Dindigul Dragons (Shivam Singh 86, Ravichandran Ashwin 49)