TNPL 2025: SKM Salem Spartans beat Siechem Madurai Panthers by six wickets
Spartans’ Impact sub R Vivek hit successive sixes off Meiyappan and scooped left-arm pacer Gurjapneet Singh before being dismissed giving the lanky pacer the charge.
Pacer M Mohammed celebrates after taking a wicket
CHENNAI: Salem Spartans became the fourth team to successfully chase down a target in as many days as teams in the 9th edition of Tamil Nadu Premier League stuck to the script of win the toss and opt to bowl at the CDCA-Sri Ramakrishna College of Arts & Science Cricket Ground here on Sunday.
Spartans restricted Madurai Panthers to 164/6 with M Mohammed scalping 2-27, before its strong batting line-up achieved the target, with fluent left-hander Nidhish Rajagopal recording his sixth TNPL fifty (60, 41b, 7x4, 2x6) and sharing in a third-wicket stand of 73 off 56 balls with R Kavin (48 not out, 39b, 1x4, 4x6) to help set up a six-wicket win after the side had lost both openers by the fourth over.
“It was a complete team effort and a very important win for us,” player of the match Rajagopal said. “The momentum is with us and we will look to carry it forward,” he added.
Rajagopal found his touch early, as he hit three boundaries in an over off pacer Gowtham T Kannan and lofted leg-spinners Karthik Meiyappan, an Impact sub, and Murugan Ashwin for sixes. Rajagopal reached his fifty with a boundary off debutant left-arm pacer Surya Anand before falling in the 14th over, bowled by Ashwin, with the side requiring 56 off 40 balls.
Spartans’ Impact sub R Vivek hit successive sixes off Meiyappan and scooped left-arm pacer Gurjapneet Singh before being dismissed giving the lanky pacer the charge.
Kavin lashed Ashwin for successive sixes as Spartans went on to seal victory with eight balls to spare. Earlier, useful knocks by R Ram Arvindh (37, 34b, 4x4), B Anirudh Sitaram (23, 17b, 3x4, 1x6), skipper NS Chaturved (32, 26b, 2x4, 1x6) and Atheeq Ur Rahman 38 (21b 1x4, 3x6) helped Panthers post a competitive total.
BRIEF SCORES: Madurai Panthers 164/6 in 20 overs (R Ram Arvindh 37, Atheeq Ur Rahman 38, NS Chaturved 32, M Mohammed 2/27) lost to Salem Spartans 167/4 in 18.4 overs (Nidhish Rajagopal 60, R Kavin 48 not out, Gurjapneet Singh 2/28, M Ashwin 2/35)
