The final of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) between Lyca Kovai Kings and Nellai Royal Kings should have been a hard-fought match but instead, the side led by M Shahrukh Khan went on to win the trophy for the first time with a massive 104-run victory.
In what turned out to be a one-sided end to the tournament, Kovai scored 205 runs and lost just 5 wickets, with Atheeq Ur Rahman scoring a quickfire 20-ball fifty. But in response, the team from Nellai lost four wickets within just seven runs as they gave up their dreams of winning the trophy quite early.
In the end, Nellai Kings only managed to score 101 runs as Jhatavedh Subramanyan took four wickets for the Nellai Kings.
Two wickets fell for 31 runs
The final, which was being played at the Indian Cement Company Ground in Tirunelveli, the Kovai Kings won the toss and decided to bat first. They lost early wickets as the Kings were 31/2.
But this led to a partnership of 71 runs between opener Suresh Kumar and U Mukilesh. Suresh went on to score 57 runs in 33 balls with four fours and three sixes.
Despite losing captain Shahrukh Khan for only seven runs, Atheeq Ur Rahman, who came to bat at number 6, turned the tide in their opponents' favour.
Smashing 50 runs in 20 balls
Kovai were 112 runs in 13 overs when Atheeq Ur Rahman came in to bat. He played an innings of 50 runs in just 20 balls with eight fours and one six to his name. After this, he got out on his 21st ball but by then, the side had scored 205 runs for 5 wickets in 20 overs. Mukilesh also remained unbeaten after scoring 51 runs in 40 balls with four 4s and one 6.
Lost four wickets in 7 runs
Chasing the mammoth target of 206 runs, Nellai Kings could not get off to the perfect start. Two wickets fell for just two runs but after this, the wickets started falling like dominoes. At one time, Nellai lost four wickets for 57 runs in 6.3 overs.
Because of this, they lost seven wickets for a score of 64 runs, with the team losing four wickets in seven runs. From here it was almost impossible to win the match. The bowlers continued their strong batting and bundled the team out for 101 runs to win the title.