While Amit Sathwik got out cheaply, in his first game as skipper, Tushar Raheja took the rocket route, launching an assault against the mystery spinner, Rohan Bhutra. Raheja absolutely tore apart the spinner, who repeatedly bowled wrong uns in his arc, for 30 runs – the second-costliest over in this edition.

Raheja’s untimely dismissal triggered a collapse that saw the Tiruppur side lose three wickets in the span of ten runs. Shoaib Mohammed Khan picked up 4/21 – the best bowling figures in TNPL 2026 – put a lot of pressure on Tiruppur. However, Pradosh’s composed innings took them home in a win that saw them topple Madurai at the top of the table.

Earlier, after being inserted to bat first, the Panther opener Ram Kumar got off to an aggressive start, taking on the experienced T Natarajan right from the get go, hitting an 18-ball 25.

Siddharth too joined the fun with a six before Natarajan removed him. Mohan Prasath accounted for TNPL’s fastest centurion, NS Chaturved. Pranav Raghavendra, on his debut, picked a wicket off his first ball trapping the Madurai skipper B Anirudh Sita Ram down the leg-side, as the Panthers were reduced to 38/3.

It soon turned into 50/4, with Prasath striking again – his second wicket of the day. Fellow left-arm spinner Mathivanan wasn’t too far behind, as he turned up the heat to remove the talented Hari Raghavendra and Shoaib Mohammed Khan in the same over, leaving them tottering at 72/6.