The Dindigul Dragons, fueled by skipper R. Ashwin’s exceptional batting and inspiring leadership, claimed their inaugural TNPL championship with a resounding six-wicket triumph over the Lyca Kovai Kings in the final held at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday. The Dragons’ bowling attack, spearheaded by pacer Sandeep Warrier (4-0-26-2) and spinners Varun Chakravarthy (4-0-26-2) and P. Vignesh (4-0-15-2), effectively restricted the Kovai Kings to a modest total of 129 for seven wickets.
Chasing a manageable target, the Dragons initially faced a slight setback as M. Siddharth dismissed Shivam Singh in the second over. G. Thamarai Kannan then removed the other opener, Vimal Khumar, in the following over. However, Ashwin and B. Indrajith (32 runs off 35 balls, including three boundaries) steadied the innings with a crucial partnership. The duo rotated the strike intelligently and hit occasional boundaries to keep the scoreboard ticking.
The Dindigul side maintained firm control at the halfway point of the chase. However, Kovai Kings skipper Shahrukh Khan disrupted the 65-run third-wicket stand by dismissing Indrajith in the 14th over. Ashwin (52 runs off 46 balls, including one boundary and three sixes) continued his impressive form, registering his third consecutive half-century. Sarath Kumar’s explosive cameo (27 not out, 15 balls, two boundaries and two sixes) sealed the victory for the Dragons.
Earlier, after a brief rain delay that pushed back the start by 40 minutes, Ashwin’s decision to bowl first proved to be a masterstroke. Pacer Sandeep Warrier made an early breakthrough, dismissing J. Suresh Kumar in the third over. Sai Sudharsan and S. Sujay then unleashed a flurry of runs, scoring 18 runs off V. P. Dhiran in the fifth over.
The match took a dramatic turn when Varun was introduced in the sixth over. He swiftly dismissed Sujay, thanks to Indrajith’s impressive glovework behind the stumps, and U. Mukilesh off the very next delivery. However, it was the young left-arm spinner P. Vignesh who claimed the crucial wickets of Sai Sudharsan and Shahrukh, turning the tide of the match in the Dragons’ favor.
Ashwin’s astute use of spin bowling choked the Kovai Kings’ scoring rate, allowing them to score only 53 runs between overs seven and 15. The resulting total of 129 proved insufficient as Ashwin’s blistering knock propelled the Dragons to a comfortable victory.
The final scores: Lyca Kovai Kings 129/7 in 20 overs (Atheeq Ur Rahman 25, Sandeep Warrier 2/26, Varun Chakravarthy 2/26, P. Vignesh 2/15) lost to Dindigul Dragons 131/4 in 18.2 overs (R. Ashwin 52, B. Indrajith 32, Sarath Kumar 27 not out); Toss: Dindigul.
