After eight years of waiting, the Dindigul Dragons supporters experienced a memorable evening as they defeated the Lyca Kovai Kings by six wickets with ten balls remaining, ultimately winning the Tamil Nadu Premier League title.
For the Dragons, choosing to field first on a slow MA Chidambaram track paid off handsomely. They let up 50 runs in the powerplay, but thanks to some outstanding bowling, especially from Varun Chakravarthy, they were able to grab three vital wickets. His superb performance of two wickets in a row, the dismissals of S. Sujay and U. Mukilesh with two immaculate deliveries, destabilised the batting lineup.
The middle-order batsmen for the Kings, Atheeq Ur Rahman and Ram Arvindh, both scored 20 runs apiece, found it difficult to overcome the powerful bowling attack of the Dragons. The disciplined bowling approach effectively neutralised the batsmen, as demonstrated by Mohammed Mohammed and Manimaran Siddharth’s plodding innings of 22 runs off 34 deliveries between them. This poor effort demonstrated how well the Dragons’ bowlers limit the opposition. In the end, the Dragons were given a 130-run victory target.
Undoubtedly, there were some nerves, particularly after losing two early wickets by the third over. But that’s when captain Ravichandran Ashwin took the pitch to demonstrate his skills. He skilfully managed the run-chase, forming a run-a-ball 65-run combination with Baba Indrajith with little danger. They relied heavily on sprinting between the wickets, which turned out to be a very successful tactic.
The assignment was not yet finished when Indrajith left; the Dragons needed 42 runs off 40 balls. But Ashwin held his ground, radiating pure serenity, and let Sarath Kumar play the aggressor. Even though Ashwin went out for 52, having made his third half-century of the season, the match was fittingly ended with a maximum over long-on off the bowling of M. Shahrukh Khan, the captain of the Kings, who was understandably disappointed with the result.
Ashwin was rightfully named Player of the Match for his outstanding all-around effort and outstanding leadership. Shahrukh, meanwhile, was rightfully awarded the Player of the Series award for his exceptional campaign, which included scoring 225 runs and taking 13 wickets.
Also Read: Dindigul Dragons win their 1st-ever TNPL championship thanks to Ravichandran Ashwin’s all-around performance
With this incredible victory, the Dragons became one of the few teams in franchise league history to win the title despite finishing the league stage in fourth place on the points chart.
Here’s how X reacted to the game:
57(35) & 0/33(4) in Eliminator.
69*(30) & 1/27(4) in Qualifier 2.
52(46) & 0/13(4) in Final.RAVICHANDRAN ASHWIN, CAPTAIN LEADING BY EXAMPLE IN THE BIG STAGE IN TNPL
pic.twitter.com/vVK352KnPH
— sundram (@sundram94079798) August 4, 2024
Congratulations
#DindigulDragons on their maiden championship title. #TNPL#TNPL2024 pic.twitter.com/4eWslF42c5
— NANI (@NAVINVJY) August 4, 2024
Ash Anna legend
World cup winner
IPL winner and now..
TNPL winner— M- (@mamameyeah) August 4, 2024
ASHWIN LEAD DINDIGUL DRAGONS WON THE TNPL 2024.
– Ashwin is the hero.
pic.twitter.com/47XbggfNEN
— cricket addict’s (@cricket0addicts) August 4, 2024
Dindigul Dragons becomes first team in TNPL to lift
by winning eliminator, qualifier-2 & Finals.
Note: LKK in 2022 ended as joint-winners with a No Result vs CSG in final game.#TNPL2024
— sudharshan sridharan (@sudharshansrid1) August 4, 2024
Hat trick of Half Centuries with the Bat, Economical with the ball and Brilliant as a captain. Congratulations @ashwinravi99 on leading Dindigul Dragons to a fantastic TNPL Title #TNPL2024
— S.Badrinath (@s_badrinath) August 4, 2024
Ash anna finally leads Dindigul Dragons to their maiden TNPL victory,happy for him.
Seems to have had a lot of fun …..
— Bharath (@eabc_02) August 4, 2024
Dindugal Dragons won the TNPL 2024
— $@®@ (@monkeyshowcrazy) August 4, 2024
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