Kovai Kings gears up for Dragons’ challenge

Dragons dominated Madurai Panthers for a nine-wicket victory after losing a tense tournament opener to Ruby Trichy Warriors while Kovai Kings got its campaign off to a winning start with a victory against Karaikudi Kaalai via the Super Over.

Dragons captain Ravichandran Ashwin bowled splendidly in the death in the match against Madurai Panthers, re-turning figures of 3-25. Leg-spinner M Abhinav was impressive too.

Dragons raced to victory following an unbeaten partnership of 125 at the top between N Jagadeesan and R Vivek.

The worrying factor for the Dragons could be the performance of its pace bowlers, who went for runs in Tirunelveli.

However, the change in venue may suit the team as the cross wind at the ICL Sankar Nagar ground in Tirunelveli was posing a big challenge to the bowlers.

The middle-order collapse in the first game will also be on Ashwin’s mind.

Kovai Kings was coasting comfortably against Karaikudi Kaalai before losing its way. The match ended in a tie before a fine Super Over by left-arm pacer T Natarajan saw it through.

Kovai Kings skipper Abhinav Mukund struck a neat 59 while debutant leg-spinner Prasanth Rajesh made a mark with a three-wicket haul.

Natarajan’s miserly spell, followed by his execution of the Super Over, augurs well for the side.

Head to Head: Kovai Kings leads 1-0. Last season their match was abandoned due to rain.