The first leg of the eighth edition of the Tamil Nadu Premier League concluded with a dramatic finish at the picturesque Salem Cricket Foundation Ground. The Nellai Royal Kings emerged victorious, edging out the SKM Salem Spartans by a narrow margin of three wickets.
Chasing a modest target of 142 runs, the Royal Kings adopted an aggressive approach, pushing the boundaries and nearly jeopardizing their chances in the process. As wickets tumbled at one end, Impact Player L. Suryapprakash stepped up with a composed innings of 43 runs not out off 35 balls, laced with five boundaries. His sensible batting guided the Nellai side across the line with seven balls to spare.
Earlier, G. Ajitesh had contributed a brisk 45 runs off 36 balls, studded with six fours and a six, but fell victim to Yazh Arun Mozhi, who snagged him behind the wickets. Mozhi then dismissed Nidhish Rajagopal, followed by trapping Rithik Easwaran leg-before-wicket, creating a tense atmosphere. However, Suryapprakash remained unfazed and held his nerves, ultimately sealing the victory.
In their innings, the Spartans faltered against Sonu Yadav’s impressive five-wicket haul (5/30). B. Emmanuel Cherian snared S. Abishiek with a catch off his own bowling before Sonu claimed R. Kavin’s wicket with an edge to the wicketkeeper. Sonu then uprooted R. Vivek’s off-stump, putting the home side on the back foot. Robin Bist, Vishal Vaidhya, and P. Shijit Chandran also departed cheaply.
While the lower-order batsmen managed to hit a few timely boundaries, Sonu and his team effectively finished what they started, dismissing the Salem outfit for 141 runs. This set the stage for the Nellai team’s victory.
SKM Salem Spartans 141 in 19.2 overs (Sonu Yadav 5/30, R. Silambarasan 2/32) lost to Nellai Royal Kings 144/7 in 18.5 overs (G. Ajitesh 45, L. Suryapprakash 43 n.o., S. Harish Kumar 2/24, Yazh Arun Mozhi 3/17); Toss: Royal Kings.
