Host Dindigul Dragons started its TNPL campaign in style with a 14-run win over Madurai Super Giants at the NPRCET grounds here on Saturday.
After over an hour of play was lost to rain, Super Giants found themselves facing a revised target of 146 off 18 overs after opener N. Jagadeesan’s 71 had powered the Dragons to 142 for nine from the 18 they faced.
Super Giants started the chase on a positive note with K.B. Arun Karthik smashing two sixes before left-arm spinner M.S. Sanjay had him caught at point. Sanjay struck again in the same over to remove G. Vignesh.
S. Suresh Kumar took a six and a four off leg-spinner M. Ashwin’s first over as Super Giants ended the PowerPlay at 43 for two.
Immediately after, it was offie V.R.S. Guru Kedarnath’s turn to come up with a double strike, getting rid of Shijith Chandran and Suresh Kumar in successive overs, both departing caught in the deep.
Super Giants never really recovered from that as Dindigul Dragons built pressure and the boundaries dried up.
With the asking rate going up, S. Thiyagarajan came up with a few lusty blows in the end but it was all too late.
Earlier, electing to bat, Dindigul Dragons began briskly.
A misfield in the second over, bowled by seamer M. Raja, resulted in a boundary, and that opened the flood-gates for Jagadeesan as he got two more fours off that over.
At the other end, southpaw G.S. Raju hit a boundary and a six before getting caught at cover off leg-spinner S.V. Muruganantham.
Dindigul Dragons ended the PowerPlay at 46 for one.
Dragons skipper Subramania Siva hit Muruganantham for a six down the ground and followed that up with a couple of pulls to the ropes off seamer L. Vignesh. However, Vignesh soon had the satisfaction of trapping Siva in front, and Dragons were 65 for two after eight overs.
At the other end,Jagadeesan continued playing his shots, but Wilkins Victor fell cheaply, holing out in the deep.
It was at that point that the skies opened up, with the score reading 84 for three in eleven overs.
On resumption, Jagadeesan brought up a well-deserved half century, and the 100 came up in the 14th over.
Jagadeesan then went after medium-pacer Thiyagarajan, taking two sixes and a boundary off him in the 15th over as Dragons raced to 127 for three.
Then, Muruganandham had both Sunny Kumar Singh and R. Vivek caught in the deep.
Jagadeesan finally departed in the penultimate over, castled by left-arm spinner D.T. Chandrasekar.
The scores: Dindigul Dragons 142 for nine in 18 overs (N. Jagadeesan 71, Muruganantham four for 22) bt Madurai Super Giants 131 for nine in 18 overs (S. Thiyagarajan 37 n.o., V.R.S. Guru Kedarnath two for 19, M.S. Sanjay two for 29). Target revised to 146 by theVJD Method .
