Ravi Ashwin(Twitter)
The TNPL (Tamil Nadu Premier League) 2024 season came to an end with Dindigul Dragons clinching their maiden title. The summit clash of the tournament saw Lyca Kovai Kings cross swords with Dindigul Dragons at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on Sunday, August 4.
The game began with Kovai Kings coming in to bat first after losing the toss. The side opened with S Sujay and Suresh Kumar scoring 22 and 11 runs, respectively. Sai Sudharsan scored 14 runs in just as many deliveries, with U Mukilesh departing for a golden duck.
Furthermore, Ram Arvindh and Atheeq Ur Rahman scored 27 and 25 runs, respectively, as their side posted a total of 129 runs in the first innings. It was the heroics of Dragons’ skipper Ravichandran Ashwin that limited Kings to a subpar total.
Despite taking no wickets, Ashwin only conceded 13 runs in the four overs that he bowled. Also, Sandeep Warrier, Varun Chakravarthy, and P Vignesh took two wickets each, alongside Suboth Bhati who struck once.
As Dragons came out to chase the target, the side got off to a horrid start as openers Vimal Khumar and Shivam Singh departed after scoring nine and four runs, respectively. However, skipper Ashwin stabilised the innings for his side.
Scoring 52 runs in 46 deliveries, Ashwin helped his side chase down the target. Baba Indrajith and Sarath Kumar made significant contributions with the bat as well, Indrajith scored 32 runs in 35 deliveries, with Kumar adding 27* runs in 15 balls as Dindigul Dragons chased down the target in 18.2 overs and won the game by six wickets, clinching their maiden TNPL title.
For his performance, the veteran all-rounder was awarded the Player of the Match award. The cricketer was exceptionally economical with the ball, and stabilised the innings for his side with the bat. Playing a captain’s innings, Ashwin was a huge reason why the Dragons were able to lift the trophy.
Here’s what Dindigul skipper and Player of the Match Ashwin said after the triumph:
Win happened in a flow. We’re the only team to lose to Salem. We started slow, were a bit inexperienced at the start and dropped plenty of catches. But the players improved with each game, and I’m so happy for them. They should play for higher honours for TN. Sarath was terrific. He had some shoulder problems, but today he was jumping like Jonty Rhodes. He was everywhere. I wanted to open in this tournament. We didn’t have a head coach. I was practicing myself. When the wickets were slow, some of the assistant coaches told me to try it out. I had a great time going all around TN and contributing. Many players have improved and broken through. Tushar Raheja, for example. Siddharth has been fantastic. Future of left-arm spin – the speed he bowls at. Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Singh, there are so many players. Many of them have made a switch, and now they’re poised to go to the next level. We’ve been to qualifiers, eliminators, final, we just couldn’t cross the final hurdle. Now glad we’re able to.