DINDIGUL: Riding on Rithik Easwaran’s 69 off 31 balls, Nellai Royal Kings edged past Vida Kovai Kings by two wickets with just one ball left in an edge-of-the-seat thriller against Vida Kovai Kings in the Tamil Nadu Premier League match on Thursday.
Justifying Nellai team’s decision to bowl first after winning the toss in the rain-delayed match, Emmanuel Cherian provided the early breakthrough, dismissing opener Radhakrishnan with a short delivery. Lokeshwar and Sachin B steadied the innings with a 59-run partnership for the second wicket, but Yudheeswaran broke the stand by removing Lokeshwar for 26.
Yudheeswaran quickly followed it with another strike, this time removing Andre Siddarth, thanks to a stunner behind the stumps by Rithik. Sachin Rathi joined the party, snapping the crucial wicket of his name sake from the other side for 42 runs from 29 balls, and then dismissing Maan K Bafna to pile up pressure on the Kovai middle order.
Captain Shahrukh Khan tried to steady the innings with sedate 29 runs from 24 balls, but lost his wicket to Emmanuel before he could unleash himself in the death overs.
Spearheaded by Yudheeswaran (3/17), Nellai’s bowling unit maintained a tight grip on Kovai, restricting it to 162 runs in 20 overs.
But it looked as if the tables turned in the second innings, with Kovai’s M Siddharth providing an early breakthrough with the dismissal of opener Santosh Duraisamy. Ajitesh and Mukilesh then looked to rescue the Nellai innings, but Kishoor turned the momentum by dismissing both of them at important junctures.
That is when Rithik took the initiative at the other end, attacking the Kovai bowlers to revive the chase. Deeban Lingesh produced a double strike in the 17th over, dismissing captain Sonu Yadav and Muhammed Adnan Khan to complete his three-wicket haul.
It all came down to the last over. Rithik was still at the crease with 69 off just 31 balls. But with only five runs needed off four balls, the set batter got out, leaving the match on the knife’s edge. Nellai needed five runs to get from three balls to win, while just two wickets stood between Kovai and a hard-fought victory. But Sachin Rathi held his composure to score the winning runs and complete a dramatic two-wicket victory for Nellai Royal Kings.
“We took the game deep, but we could have bowled better in the slog overs by hitting the right lengths. The wicket was a bit sticky, and we felt 15 more runs would have helped. Our batting has been good, so we don’t see the need for any major changes there,” said Kovai captain Shahrukh Khan.
Crediting Yudheeswaran’s three-wicket spell as the turning point that restricted Kovai to 162 and Rithik’s responsible, match-winning innings, Emmanuel said, “After two consecutive losses, we bounced back well despite conceding a few runs in the powerplay…We’ll carry this momentum into the Chennai leg and focus on correcting our mistakes and stepping up as a team.”
“The trend this tournament has shown is that batters who stay till the end can almost win the game. Being vice-captain has helped me step up and take more responsibility,” said Rithik, who was adjudged Player of the Match.
Brief scores: Vida Kovai Kings 162/9 in 20 overs (Sachin B 42; Yudheeswaran 3/25) lost to Nellai Royal Kings 163/8 in 19.5 overs (Rithik Easwaran 69; Kishoor 3/32) by two wickets. Shriram Capital Player of the Match – Rithik Easwaran (NRK)