174/8 (19.4)
CR : 8.85
173/7 (20.0)
CR : 8.65
Madurai Panthers won by 2 wickets 🏆
Player of the Match
Gurjapneet Singh
1/4221(9)*
7:05 PM IST & Local Time: What a finish! Madurai Panthers have pulled off a remarkable heist here in Dindigul, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat in dramatic fashion. Madurai Panthers emerged victorious by 2 wickets in a thrilling encounter.
Earlier in the day, Madurai Panthers won the toss and opted to field first, but Trichy Grand Cholas came out firing as Suresh Kumar and K Rajkumar dominated the powerplay with a superb opening stand, taking the score to 66/0 after six overs. The momentum shifted immediately after the field restrictions as S Rajalingam struck twice in the seventh over to remove both openers, triggering a collapse. Trichy slipped from 71/0 to 104/5 with Jagatheesan Kousik (11), Shyam Sundar (11) and Jafar Jamal (2) all departing cheaply.
Madurai Panthers controlled the middle overs brilliantly but a crucial counterattack from R Rajkumar and Sanjay Yadav turned the tide once again. The pair added a rapid 65-run partnership off just 34 deliveries for the sixth wicket, with Rajkumar scoring 35 off 19 balls and Sanjay Yadav remaining unbeaten on 37 off 28. Their late surge helped Trichy Grand Cholas recover strongly and post a competitive total of 173/7 from their 20 overs.
In pursuit of 174, Madurai Panthers suffered a couple of early setbacks as Gowtham Kannan struck twice to remove both the openers. Despite the early blows, the Panthers finished the powerplay strongly, reaching 57/2 after 6 overs. NS Chaturved looked in good touch and played a few positive strokes during his stay, but he was unable to convert his start into a substantial innings, falling for 27 off 19 deliveries shortly after the powerplay.
The Panthers then looked to rebuild through the middle overs and kept themselves in the hunt. At the halfway mark of the chase, they were 80/3, needing a further 94 runs from 60 balls. Kiran Karthikeyan and Anirudh Sita Ram put together a valuable 50-run partnership to steady the innings, but the scoring rate remained a concern. Just when the chase seemed to be under control, Trichy Grand Cholas struck back with three quick wickets as the Panthers slumped from 107/3 to 114/6.
With the required rate climbing rapidly, the game appeared to be slipping away from Madurai Panthers. They were reduced to 8 wickets down and still needed 42 runs from the final 17 balls. However, Gurjapneet Singh (21* off 9) and PK Saravanan (26* off 13) had other ideas. The pair launched a sensational counterattack, taking on the bowlers from both ends and shifting the momentum completely. Their unbeaten 42-run partnership came off just 15 balls and turned the contest on its head. The duo guided Madurai Panthers home with 2 wickets to spare in a thrilling finish. Stay tuned for the Post-Match Presentation!
Earlier in the day, Madurai Panthers won the toss and opted to field first, but Trichy Grand Cholas came out firing as Suresh Kumar and K Rajkumar dominated the powerplay with a superb opening stand, taking the score to 66/0 after six overs. The momentum shifted immediately after the field restrictions as S Rajalingam struck twice in the seventh over to remove both openers, triggering a collapse. Trichy slipped from 71/0 to 104/5 with Jagatheesan Kousik (11), Shyam Sundar (11) and Jafar Jamal (2) all departing cheaply.
Madurai Panthers controlled the middle overs brilliantly but a crucial counterattack from R Rajkumar and Sanjay Yadav turned the tide once again. The pair added a rapid 65-run partnership off just 34 deliveries for the sixth wicket, with Rajkumar scoring 35 off 19 balls and Sanjay Yadav remaining unbeaten on 37 off 28. Their late surge helped Trichy Grand Cholas recover strongly and post a competitive total of 173/7 from their 20 overs.
In pursuit of 174, Madurai Panthers suffered a couple of early setbacks as Gowtham Kannan struck twice to remove both the openers. Despite the early blows, the Panthers finished the powerplay strongly, reaching 57/2 after 6 overs. NS Chaturved looked in good touch and played a few positive strokes during his stay, but he was unable to convert his start into a substantial innings, falling for 27 off 19 deliveries shortly after the powerplay.
The Panthers then looked to rebuild through the middle overs and kept themselves in the hunt. At the halfway mark of the chase, they were 80/3, needing a further 94 runs from 60 balls. Kiran Karthikeyan and Anirudh Sita Ram put together a valuable 50-run partnership to steady the innings, but the scoring rate remained a concern. Just when the chase seemed to be under control, Trichy Grand Cholas struck back with three quick wickets as the Panthers slumped from 107/3 to 114/6.
With the required rate climbing rapidly, the game appeared to be slipping away from Madurai Panthers. They were reduced to 8 wickets down and still needed 42 runs from the final 17 balls. However, Gurjapneet Singh (21* off 9) and PK Saravanan (26* off 13) had other ideas. The pair launched a sensational counterattack, taking on the bowlers from both ends and shifting the momentum completely. Their unbeaten 42-run partnership came off just 15 balls and turned the contest on its head. The duo guided Madurai Panthers home with 2 wickets to spare in a thrilling finish. Stay tuned for the Post-Match Presentation!
J Suresh Kumar (Trichy Grand Cholas Captain): [Tough loss. Where do you think this game went out of your hands?] In the middle overs with the ball, we gave easy singles. We should have had better plans and applied ourselves. In the death overs, we were not at our best. We can improve in the execution. We need to take tough chances as well.
[On the chat with the boys after this outing. What are the learnings?] It is a good learning. We have a good bowling attack, actually. Death bowling wasn't successful today, but they will learn. It happens, and they will learn with time.
[Short turnaround. How are you going to come back?] Pretty simple. We have 2-3 bowlers who are dealing with niggles right now. Once they come back, our bowling attack will look even better. Momentum is good. We will take one step at a time."
[On the chat with the boys after this outing. What are the learnings?] It is a good learning. We have a good bowling attack, actually. Death bowling wasn't successful today, but they will learn. It happens, and they will learn with time.
[Short turnaround. How are you going to come back?] Pretty simple. We have 2-3 bowlers who are dealing with niggles right now. Once they come back, our bowling attack will look even better. Momentum is good. We will take one step at a time."
Maximum Fours of the Match: J Suresh Kumar
Highest Strike Rate of the Match: J Suresh Kumar
Most Dependable Player of the Match: R Rajkumar
Player of the Match: Gurjapneet Singh
Gurjapneet Singh (Player of the Match): "(How is he feeling with the bat?) Of course, it feels very exciting as it's nice to contribute for the team whatever it requires. I am just trying to deliver for the team; that's it.
(Did he get any information from the dug-out when he was batting in the middle?) There is no such thing as information. We knew that we needed to get good runs from every ball. We can't afford to play any dot balls. My intent was clear from ball one. I just wanted to go after it.
(How is the atmosphere in the team?) Yeah, of course, everyone is chipping in nicely. They are giving their 100% in the camps. They are playing very good cricket. Hopefully they will deliver in the tournament."
(Did he get any information from the dug-out when he was batting in the middle?) There is no such thing as information. We knew that we needed to get good runs from every ball. We can't afford to play any dot balls. My intent was clear from ball one. I just wanted to go after it.
(How is the atmosphere in the team?) Yeah, of course, everyone is chipping in nicely. They are giving their 100% in the camps. They are playing very good cricket. Hopefully they will deliver in the tournament."
B Anirudh Sita Ram (Madurai Panthers Captain): "(First game as captain. First win. How do you feel?) Very happy. We have put in, you know, a lot of effort. Two weeks of camp and the hard work the boys have put in, it's reaping the rewards. It was a very good game. It's one thing with Madurai is that we never give up, and we just showed that in the first game of the season. It is a long tournament. Hopefully, we continue doing that and carry this momentum forward.
(Where do you think this game changed?) If you see, in the first half of the innings, they were 65/0 after 6 overs. We managed to pull them back to 170, which itself was a big achievement from our end. We felt that this wicket was a good one. They could have scored 200. We managed to keep them under 170. And we started well with the bat despite losing a few wickets. Me and Kiran had a good partnership. We did lose wickets, but the intent was there to score. We knew that we could bat deep. So, it was about taking it deep. We had another batter who could hit sixes. It is a long batting list. We were very confident that if we could take it to the last over, we would have very high chances of winning.
(Anything to work on?) Nothing much. Game awareness. It is the first game. Good start to the tournament. We can be slightly smarter in terms of decision-making. That's it."
(Where do you think this game changed?) If you see, in the first half of the innings, they were 65/0 after 6 overs. We managed to pull them back to 170, which itself was a big achievement from our end. We felt that this wicket was a good one. They could have scored 200. We managed to keep them under 170. And we started well with the bat despite losing a few wickets. Me and Kiran had a good partnership. We did lose wickets, but the intent was there to score. We knew that we could bat deep. So, it was about taking it deep. We had another batter who could hit sixes. It is a long batting list. We were very confident that if we could take it to the last over, we would have very high chances of winning.
(Anything to work on?) Nothing much. Game awareness. It is the first game. Good start to the tournament. We can be slightly smarter in terms of decision-making. That's it."
What a contest we have witnessed here in Dindigul! Madurai Panthers have produced a stunning turnaround to pull off an incredible victory when all hope seemed lost. Absolute heartbreak for Trichy Grand Cholas, who looked in control for large parts of the chase but could not close the game out in the end.
That brings an end to a fascinating first game of the day. Stay with us and switch over for the second match which is about to begin. The pair of Pritam Dey and Zeeshan Naiyer will once again be with you, bring you every key moment through live ball-by-ball updates. BYE BYE from here! 👋
That brings an end to a fascinating first game of the day. Stay with us and switch over for the second match which is about to begin. The pair of Pritam Dey and Zeeshan Naiyer will once again be with you, bring you every key moment through live ball-by-ball updates. BYE BYE from here! 👋