Top-order batter Sai Sudharsan's unbeaten 123 off just 56 balls led Shahrukh Khan's Lyca Kovai Kings to the final of Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) 2024 with a seven-wicket win over IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans at NPR College Ground, Dindigul on July 30.
In the Qualifier 1 clash, Tamizhans skipper Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore won the toss and opted to bat first. Openers Amit Sathvik (42-ball 67), Tushar Raheja's (31-ball 55) half-centuries and Mohamed Ali's quickfire 23-ball 45 helped Tamizhans post 200/3 on the board.
Kings' run chase got off to worst possible start as GV Vignesh got bowled for a golden duck by P Bhuvaneswaran. Sudharsan got off the mark with a first-ball boundary. Kings were 47/1 after six overs. Sai Kishore introduced himself into the attack and delivered with S Sujay's wicket. In the next over, S Ajith Ram dismissed Suresh Kumar for a single-digit score. In the same over, Sudharsan hit the first six of the run chase. Kings were 79/3 at the halfway stage with required run rate reaching over 12 runs per over.
Sudharsan makes Tamizhans pay for dropped catches
In the 12th over, U Mukilesh's catch was dropped off T Natarajan's bowling. In the next over, Sudharsan reached his fifty with a six taking 32 balls. In the last four overs, Kings needed 54 runs. Sudharsan's catch was dropped in the 17th over. He went berserk after that and hit three consecutive sixes. He was dropped again on the next ball of the innings. He reached his century with a six in the 18th over. He took just 48 balls to reach the milestone. In the penultimate over, he smashed Bhuvaneshwaran for two sixes and a four to finish the game. Kings won the game with seven balls to spare.
Lucky Sudharsan lauds Mukilesh
Sudharsan felt lucky that his catch was dropped when he took on left-arm spinner Sai Kishore. Also, he lauded his batting partner Mukilesh who remained unbeaten for 31-ball 48.
“I feel really happy to win the game for my side. It's a big honor. I really thought about this [on his lack of runs], it was difficult when I was out of touch but I trusted my process which helped. I was not specific with my plans, I was open and we calculated how many hits we needed per over from the 10th-12th over. It was an important matchup against Sai Kishore and I tried to maximise and luckily they dropped my catch. The vibe from the crowd is something I enjoy. We should not forget Mukilesh's innings too, very important contribution,” the southpaw said in the post-match presentation.
Sudharsan dropped after Zimbabwe series
Sudharsan was part of the Shubman Gill-led squad for the five-T20I series. He made his T20I debut in the second game of the series but did not get to bat. He did not play another game in the series and was later dropped from the T20I squad for Sri Lanka as senior players returned to the fold.
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