TNPL 2022 Eliminator | LKK vs SMP | Kings knock Panthers out of the tournament

In the rain-interrupted eliminator of Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) 2022, Shahrukh Khan's Lyca Kovai Kings annihilated the Siechem Madurai Panthers by 20 runs to eliminate them from the tournament yesterday.

Following this win, the Shahrukh Khan-led outfit sealed a spot in Qualifier 2, where they will face the team finishing up on the losing side in Qualifier 1. 

Kings raced to the target riding on openers’ brilliance

After delivering a dazzling performance with the ball, Kovai Kings' run-chase got off to a flying start with openers G Sridhar Raju (49* off 40) and J Suresh Kumar (20* off 21) stamping their authority with the bat against the Madurai bowling attack.

The duo added 72 runs on the board in just 9.5 overs before rain halted the match. 

Later the below-par target of 127 runs was adjusted under the Duckworth Lewis method, according to which the batting side needed 52 runs at the time rain interrupted the game, and Kovai Kings were miles ahead of it, claiming an easy victory. 

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Madurai Panthers crawled to 126 following a terrible batting collapse 

Earlier, Siechem Madurai Panthers opted to bat first on the tricky pitch of Salem, which backfired badly. 

After starting their innings reasonably well with their opening duo – V Aaditya and Arun Karthik cobbling up a 33-run stand, the Panthers endured a terrible batting collapse in the middle order. 

While Aaditya scored 17 runs off 16 deliveries, Arun held the one end tightly and remained unbeaten on 47. 

However, Madurai somehow managed to finish their innings at 126 for seven, with skipper NS Chaturved and Jagatheesan Kousik contributing with 16 and 17 runs, respectively.

Abhishek Tanwar and S Ajith Ram starred with the ball for LKK, ripping apart the Panthers' batting lineup. Both of them bagged two wickets each in their quota of four overs.  

Brief Scores: 

Siechem Madurai Panthers: 126/7 (20)

Arun Karthik 47* (51), J Kousik 17 (14); 

S Ajith Ram 2-24 (4), Abhishek Tanwar 2-31 (4) 

Lyca Kovai Kings: 72/0 (9.5) 

G Sridhar Raju 49* (40), J Suresh Kumar 20* (21) 

Lyca Kovai Kings won by 20 runs (DLS Method). 

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