Karaikudi Kaalai beat Lyca Kovai Kings by 36 runs in a rain-delayed TNPL match here on Friday.
Once the weather cleared, Kaalai won the toss and batted. Vijay Kumar took 12 runs off M. Mohammed in the first over, with two fours — the first an edge off a hard slash which went past third man, and the second placed between backward and cover point.
R. Srinivasan’s fall — he miscued an attempted loft down the ground in the second over to be held at third man — did not seem to deter Vijay Kumar. He hit three more fours, and a six but fell to Mohammed in the sixth over, playing on while attempting to hit one over mid-on.
PowerPlay had yielded 44 runs.
Thereon, veteran S. Badrinath and Vishal Vaidhya, a left-hander, put on a run-a-ball 40 in a third-wicket union.
The pair took their ones and twos, and hit a six each; while Vishal hit his over long-off off left-arm spinner S. Ajith Ram, Badrinath cleared deep midwicket off medium-pacer Harish Kumar.
Mohammed broke the partnership bowling Vishal in the 13th over. By the end of the 15th, Karaikudi was 107 for three.
Badrinath, who brought his fifty up in 45 balls, then put on 65 off 37 balls in a fourth wicket partnership with S. Anirudha (45, 29b) that propped Karaikudi up to 159 for five in 20 overs. Anirudha hit two fours and three sixes, and was M. Mohammed’s third victim in the last ball of the innings.
L. Suryapprakash was the first to go, leg before wicket to M. Suresh Babu. After that Kovai’s chase was stifled by Ganapathi Chandrasekar’s first spell where he picked two for two in two overs.
The 35-year old had Tarun Srinivas caught at mid-on and the left-handed opener S. Anirudh Sita Ram at third man. R. Rohith, who hit to fine leg and tried stealing a tight single, was run out in between.
Kovai was 57 for four by the end of 10 overs.
Its plight worsened, courtesy right-arm pacer Sonu Yadav, who ended with figures of four for 22.
A 21-run sixth wicket partnership between S. Harish Kumar, and M. Kamalesh, and an unbeaten 22-run last wicket partnership between K. Vignesh, and S. Ajith Ram took Kovai to 123 for nine.
The scores:
Karaikudi Kaalai 159 for five in 20 overs (S. Badrinath 53, S. Anirudha 45, M. Vijay Kumar 35, Mohammed three for 26) bt Lyca Kovai Kings 123 for nine in 20 overs (S. Anirudh Sita Ram 35, R. Sonu Yadav four for 22, Ganapathi Chandrasekar two for 14).
