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Dindigul Dragons snatched a victory from jaws of defeat against Salem Spartans as they won the last-ball thriller by two wickets in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) 2025 encounter on June 22. Mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy turned out to be the finisher for Ravichandran Ashwin's side as he hit a six and a four off last two balls to win the game by two wickets.
In the last over, Dindigul Dragons needed 11 runs to win. M Karthik Saran was batting on 12 runs from seven balls. M Poiyamozhi started with a dot ball. On the delivery, Karthik Saran was dismissed. 11 runs were needed off last four balls when new batter DT Chandrasekar took a single. Chakravarthy got the strike and got two runs.
Match was in Salem Spartans' control when Poiyamozhi delivered a no ball. On the free hit delivery, Chakravarthy stayed deep in the crease and hit the ball over long-on for a six. With one run to win, fielders were well within the 30-yard circle. On the last ball, Chakravarthy hit a boundary to finish the run chase. While Dindigul Dragons players rushed to the field, an emotional Ashwin was sitting in the dugout, celebrating the win.
Ashwin contributes with quickfire cameo
Earlier in the run chase, Ashwin and Shivam Singh got Dragons off to a blazing start. Ashwin hit five fours and two sixes in his 14-ball 35 cameo. After powerplay overs, Dragons were 70/2. Dragons lost five wickets for 112 runs. Shivam departed for a 24-ball 34 whereas R K Jayant contributed with a 15-ball 25 cameo. Hunny Saini (28-ball 35) and Vimal Khumar contributed with cameos as well before the last over drama.
Ashwin strikes thrice with ball
In their fifth game of the season, Ashwin won the toss and opted to bowl first. He got the wicket in his first over. The top order failed to perform. Nidhish Rajagopal anchored the innings. Ashwin was impressive with the ball, ending cameos of Sunny Sandhu (14-ball 25) and Rajendra Vivek (20-ball 35). Rajagopal's 47-ball 74 helped Salem Spartans put 188/7 on the board. Ashwin bowled his full quota of four overs, conceded 22 runs and claimed three wickets.
Where do Dragons stand on TNPL 2025 points table?
This was Dindigul Dragons' third win of the tournament. It helped them rise to the third spot on the points table. Their next two matches are against Nellai Royal Kings and Trichy Grand Cholas on June 26 and 29 respectively. These matches will be crucial for Dindigul Dragons' chances of making it into playoffs.
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