Sachin and Jhathavedh steer Vida Kovai Kings to 116-run win in 100th TNPL match

Vida Kovai Kings defeated Trichy Grand Cholas at the NPR College ground in Dindigul in the 100th match of the Tamil Nadu Premier League on Saturday, with key contributions from B. Sachin and Jhathavedh Subramanyan that ended the Kings’ three-match losing run.

The match was played as a special occasion, the tournament’s 100th fixture at the NPR College ground, and Vida Kovai Kings were sent in to bat. Top-order batter B. Sachin and lower-order support from Madhava Prasad rebuilt the innings after early setbacks, adding a 75-run partnership for the sixth wicket that helped Kovai surpass the 200-mark.

Sachin scored 77 off 45 balls, hitting six fours and four sixes while Madhava Prasad finished unbeaten on 38; the Kings closed their innings at 201 for 6 in 20 overs. Trichy’s K. Easwaran took 2/41 as one of the more economical returns against the Kovai total.

Trichy Grand Cholas were under pressure from the outset while chasing, losing skipper-opener J. Suresh Kumar to K. Deeban Lingesh for a duck in the first over. M. Siddharth removed Shyam Sundar and Deeban returned to dismiss J. Kousik, with Jhathavedh Subramanyan then accounting for Bhavan Suriya to leave Trichy 40 for 4 early in the chase.

Opener K. Rajkumar, who made 32, survived a dropped chance in the eighth over when C. Andre Siddarth put down a long-on catch off Prashid Akash, but the debutant Siddarth went on to dismiss Jafar Jamal shortly afterwards. Jhathavedh then returned to take the wickets of K. Rajkumar and Antony Dhas, reducing Trichy to 59 for 7.

R.S. Ambrish removed R. Rajkumar and Ganesh Moorthi as the lower order failed to recover; the Grand Cholas were bowled out for 85 in 16.1 overs. Key bowling figures for the Kings included K. Deeban Lingesh 3/24, Jhathavedh Subramanyan 3/10 and R.S. Ambrish 2/22.

The official match scores: Vida Kovai Kings 201/6 in 20 overs (B. Sachin 77, Madhava Prasad 38 n.o., K. Easwaran 2/41) beat Trichy Grand Cholas 85 in 16.1 overs (K. Rajkumar 32, K. Deeban Lingesh 3/24, Jhathavedh Subramanyan 3/10, R.S. Ambrish 2/22) by 116 runs.