In a nerve-wracking and surreal encounter at the NPR College cricket ground in Natham, B. Sai Sudharsan orchestrated a spectacular hundred (123 n.o., 56b, 9×4, 9×6) for Lyca Kovai Kings, propelling them to a thrilling seven-wicket victory over iDream Tiruppur Tamizhans in Qualifier-1 of the eighth season of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL). With a target of 200 runs, Sudharsan rose to the occasion like a man possessed, unleashing an innings of breathtaking brilliance.
Against pace, he displayed a masterful repertoire of shots, effortlessly flicking, square-cutting, playing inside-out, straight-driving, and punching boundaries on the backfoot. He even pulled left-arm spinner S. Ajith Ram for a colossal six to deep square leg, celebrating his fifty with a flat six over long off. With 71 runs required off 30 balls, Sudharsan continued his onslaught, manufacturing a six by going down on one knee and slogging medium-pacer R. Rohit to deep midwicket. On 72, he skied a pull shot to deep midwicket off left-arm spinner R. Sai Kishore, but a collision between Amit Sathvik and Ajith Ram led to a dropped catch, granting three runs. In the very next ball, he smashed three consecutive sixes, the first a hammered bunt off a wide delivery, the second a powerful pull for a high-and-handsome long-off six, and the third a contemptuous shot over cover.
His confidence soaring, he attempted another six, but was dropped on 93 by Radhakrishnan, who had come running in from long off. In the following over, Sudharsan climbed all over a T. Natarajan short delivery and pulled it massively to deep midwicket, bringing up the second-fastest century in TNPL history! As he completed his remarkable innings, leaving everyone speechless, he executed a remarkable whiplash of a wristy cut for a six over the leaping fielder at deep cover off medium-pacer P. Bhuvaneswaran. With this sensational display, Lyca Kovai Kings secured their place in the TNPL final.
