Hari, Sunny and Mohammed steal the limelight as Spartans get past Cholas
C. Hari Nishaanth's stylish 83 (58b, 7x4, 3x6), and M. Mohammed's brilliant spell (four for 20) were the highlights of SKM Salem Spartans' thrilling seven-run win over Trichy Grand Cholas in the TNPL at the Sri Ramakrishna College ground here on Tuesday.
Spartans, put in to bat, made 179 for eight on the back of a 93-run partnership between Hari Nishaanth and Sunny Sandhu (45, 27b, 1x4, 4x6) for the fourth wicket.
In reply, the Cholas' chase went off the rails in the PowerPlay once Sunny removed S. Sujay and Waseem Ahmed. The Trichy side managed only 28 for four in the first six overs, and slumped into deeper trouble at 48 for six.
However, J. Kousik (62, 39b, 5x4, 3x6) and R. Rajkumar (59, 26b, 5x4, 5x6) did not go down without a fight and gave a mighty scare by smashing the Spartans' bowlers all over the park during their 88-run alliance for the seventh wicket off just 41 balls.
The experienced Mohammed eventually struck twice in the 17th over, including that of Rajkumar, to turn the tide again. Kousik, though kept the hopes alive till the end, but his decision not to farm the strike after hitting the first ball of the 20th over to the boundary proved costly as his side fell short by the barest of margins.
Earlier, Hari's innings was all about timing and elegance as he hit some pristine drives down the ground and through covers off the pacers in the PowerPlay to get his side off to a steady start.
After the 10th over, the opener and Sunny (45) stepped up a gear, taking on the spinners who struggled to grip the wet ball following evening rains that caused a 25-minute delay to the start of the game.
Though Cholas pulled things back in the last five, giving just 41 runs, the failure of the top-order proved costly in the end.
The scores: SKM Salem Spartans 179/8 in 20 overs (C. Hari Nishaanth 83, Sunny Sandhu 45, Athisayaraj 3/31) bt Trichy Grand Cholas 172/9 in 20 overs (J. Kousik 62, R. Rajkumar 59, Sunny Sandhu 2/18, Mohammed 4/20).
Toss: Grand Cholas.
Wednesday's match:
Lyca Kovai Kings vs Siechem Madurai Panthers (7.15 p.m.).
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