TNPL: We executed our plans perfectly: Arun

What looked like a 200-run target came down to 164 after that over and Arun Kumar was happy to address the media after his team’s five-wicket win.

Asked for his reaction to the first-wicket century stand of Madurai, Arun said captain Sathish had advised them to remain calm. ”Our captain asked us to remain calm and just get our basics right. We did just that and were confident of ourselves. We had our plans and executed them perfectly,” said Arun after the match.  About the team’s decision to send Antony Dhas ahead of Sathish while chasing, Arun said the team had confidence in him and it was always good to have an experienced player like Sathish to finish off the game. 

Madurai Super Giant coach S Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan felt his team fell 20 runs short. “We were looking forward to a lot of things in this game. We need to do something about our bowling and fielding,” he remarked. 

“If you give away 12 boundaries in the powerplay, it’s very difficult to come back into the game. The spinners tried their best. They are taking too long to get better and they are experienced players. Yes, we are getting better. That’s the only consolation. I guess now we just need to play for pride and win a couple of games,” he explained. 

The coach admitted the loss of four quick wickets after a 100-run stand changed the complexion of the game. “The players batting at five, six and seven can only play around the top order. After starting so beautifully, we lost everybody in a matter of two overs. It’s very difficult for us to come back then,” he said.