We would love to have the last laugh: Arunkumar

Panthers coach J Arunkumar said he is aware of the resources that Dindigul has in its arsenal for the summit clash. “We have scores to settle with them. We would love to have the last laugh. They are a formidable side, we need to prepare well for defeating them,” he said ahead of the final.

The Madurai franchise brought in two new faces in Lokesh Raj and Tushar Raheja despite the Kovai game being a knockout fixture. Speaking on fielding debutants at this juncture of the tournament, he added, “Both were shaping well in the nets. It was a difficult decision to leave J Sinivas and Nilesh but Tushar Raheja, the opener, was very positive and we wanted a quick bowler like Lokesh on this track.”

Arunkumar opined that his side had complicated a few things in some of its earlier games. “Our mindset was positive for this match. I think in the last few matches, we complicated ourselves with over thinking, so (against Kovai) we kept it simple and stuck to our basics.

Panthers had a cruise against Kovai Kings, winning it by seven wickets. Experienced player Arun Karthik once against led from the front, scoring an unbeaten 79. Speaking on the win, he remarked, “We were outstanding, we won it hands down. We bowled with discipline and we batted sensibly as well. Our aim was to not lose too many early wickets and our batsmen stepped up to the occasion.”