TNPL 10 Final: Andre Siddarth’s 82 powers Kovai Kings to third title

CHENNAI: Vida Kovai Kings’ Andre Siddarth celebrated his 20th birthday in style, smashing a 47-ball 82 as his side beat Madurai Panthers by 84 runs to clinch their third Tamil Nadu Premier League title here on Friday (August 28).

Manimaran Siddharth and skipper Shahrukh Khan then shared six wickets as Madurai were bowled out for 98 in front of 14,333 spectators.

Madurai’s chase suffered a setback off the very first ball, and Siddharth Mahadevan soon followed with a two-ball duck as Kovai’s bowlers made early inroads. Hari Ragavendra offered some resistance with a 14-ball 24, but a needless single brought about his downfall as Madurai slipped to 45/3 inside the powerplay.

Jhathavedh Subramanyan then removed NS Chaturved, before Deeban Lingesh and Shahrukh accounted for Shoaib Mohammed Khan (1) and Atheeq Ur Rahman (1), respectively.

The Panthers were reduced to 82/6 and then 94/7, with Shahrukh finishing with excellent figures of 3/10. Madurai were eventually bowled out for 98 in 14.2 overs.

Earlier, for the third game in a row, Kovai skipper Shahrukh made the right call at the toss and opted to bat first a decision his side had made the most of throughout the tournament.

S Lokeshwar and S Radhakrishnan took their chances in the opening two overs, with Rohan Bhutra putting down a catch in the deep, as Kovai raced to 34/0 by the third over.

Madurai’s spin-heavy strategy soon paid dividends, though. Left-arm spinner P Saravanan bowled Lokeshwar for seven before Shoaib removed Radhakrishnan (13 off 12), leaving Kovai at 34/2.

B Sachin and Siddarth, however, had other ideas. The pair combined brute force with class to stitch together a crucial 117-run partnership off 74 balls for the third wicket.

While Sachin anchored the innings with a 33-ball 39, Siddarth played the aggressor, constantly putting the Panthers attack under pressure.

Madurai then had another chance to halt his charge but dropped Siddarth on 44 off 30 balls. The youngster made them pay, bringing up his second TNPL half-century of the season and putting Kovai in command.

Once he reached fifty, Siddarth shifted gears. He smashed four sixes in five balls against G Periyaswamy and Bhutra to put Kovai firmly on course for a big finish.

Saravanan, however, refused to let the Panthers off the hook. He struck twice in four balls to remove Sachin and Shahrukh before claiming Siddarth as his fourth victim of the night.

But by then, the damage had been done. Siddarth walked back for a 47-ball 82, having struck seven fours and five sixes, while Saravanan finished with impressive figures of 4/30 as Kovai posted 182/7.

Brief Scores:

Vida Kovai Kings 182/7 in 20 overs (Siddarth 82, B Sachin 39; Saravanan 4/30) beat Madurai Panthers 98 all-out in 14.2 overs (NS Chaturved 40; Shahrukh 3/10) by 84 runs.

Most runs in TNPL 10 – B Sachin (Vida Kovai Kings) – 428 runs at an average of 53.50

Most wickets in TNPL 10 – Deeban Lingesh (Vida Kovai Kings) – 17 wickets at an average of 12.23.

Player of the Final – Andre Siddarth (Vida Kovai Kings)

Player of the Tournament – B Sachin (Vida Kovai Kings – 428 runs)