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Lyca Kovai Kings justified their table-topping tag by defeating Salem Spartans in Match 25 of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) 2024 season. The last-ball thriller was staged at the NPR College Ground in Dindigul on Saturday, July 27.
Batting first, SKM Salem Spartans recorded 171/4 from 20 overs, largely owing to a swift 19-ball 42* by Harish Kumar at the death. Earlier in the innings, opener Vishal Vaidhya (36 off 33 balls) shared 61 runs in eight overs with captain S Abishiek (20 from 22 balls). No. 3 batter Rajendran Vivek also cracked 43 from 30 balls with four boundaries and three sixes to fuel the Spartans’ charge in the middle overs.
For the Kovai Kings, leg-spinner Jhathavedh Subramanyan unfurled the spell of the innings with figures of 2/16 from four overs.
Chasing 172, opening batter S Sujay made 48 off 39 balls and shared handy partnerships with Sai Sudharsan (22 off 16 balls), U Mukilesh (14 off 13 balls) and captain M Shahrukh Khan. The skipper himself exploded with a 17-ball half-century to defy M Poiyamozhi’s fighting four-fer. Shahrukh Khan’s bludgeoning fury helped the Lyca Kovai Kings chase down their target on the last ball with a wicket to spare.
Interestingly, the match featured as many as four IPL superstars, all turning up for the victorious Lyca Kovai Kings club. Here we take a look at how each of those IPL players fared in the exhilarating contest.
Sai Sudharsan (Lyca Kovai Kings)
Gujarat Titans and Team India star Sai Sudharsan took a sharp catch on the field to dismiss Salem Spartans batter Sudhan Kandepan. With the bat, the 22-year-old made 22 runs from 16 balls while batting at number three in a chase of 172.
Shahrukh Khan (Lyca Kovai Kings)
Lyca Kovai Kings captain Shahrukh Khan blasted six sixes and a boundary in his 18-ball half-century. Batting at number six, the Titans batter and former Punjab Kings star arrived to the crease at 105/4 and took his team at the brink of the finishing line before his untimely dismissal to M Poiyamozhi. Earlier in the game, the 29-year-old sent down an over of his off-spin to concede nine runs for his team.
Manimaran Siddharth (Lyca Kovai Kings)
Sharing the new ball with Gowtham Thamarai Kannan, IPL’s journeyman and active Lucknow Super Giants spinner Manimaran Siddharth picked up a Salem Spartans wicket at the expense of just 19 runs off his four overs.
He also inflicted a runout to get rid of Salem Spartans skipper S Abishiek. Batting at number nine, Manimaran Siddharth added tense runs with the bat to steer his team to victory on the last ball of the match.
Jhathavedh Subramanyan (Lyca Kovai Kings)
Hong Kong international and SunRisers Hyderabad leg-spinner Jhathavedh Subramanyan accounted for the key wickets of Salem Spartans' well-set batters Vishal Vaidhya and Rajendran Vivek. Bowling out his four overs, Subramanyan collected figures of 2/16 and relayed a runout dismissal of rival skipper S Abishiek with teammate Manimaran Siddharth.
Batting at number 11, the 24-year-old scored a vital single in the final over to set up a thrilling win for the Lyca Kovai Kings.
