In the final of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL), Lyca Kovai Kings locked horns with Nellai Royal Kings. The Kovai Kings had lost one game of the tournament in the league stages. On the other hand, the Royal Kings, who finished third in the points table, snuck into the title after winning the Eliminator and the second Qualifier.
Talking about the summit clash, Lyca, who was defending the title, won the toss and elected to bat first. They shared the spoils with Chepauk Super Gillies last year as the final was washed out. Meanwhile, after electing to bat first, the Blue Brigade lost two wickets for 31 runs. At this stage, the likes of Suresh Kumar and U Mukilesh put together 71 runs for the third wicket.
Both players scored half-centuries but skipper Shah Rukh Khan failed with the bat. Despite this, the team reached a daunting total of 205/5. Atheeq Ur Rahman (50*) played a cameo in the end.
Lyka Kovai Kings thrash Nellai Royal Kings
The Shah Rukh Khan-led side kept the stranglehold of the opposition in their bowling innings. Gowtham Thamarai and Manimaran Siddharth took one wicket each in the first two to start the defense. Royal Kings skipper Arun Karthik (27) started well but his stay was cut short by Khan who became the highest wicket-taker of the tournament.
Only four batters could reach the double-digit mark. Khan ended up getting three wickets and Jhatavedh Subramanyan took four. The likes of Gowtham, Siddharth, and M Mohammed took one wicket each. In the end, the Royal Kings were bowled out for 101, losing the game by 104 runs. With this, Kovai has become the second team to defend their title. Chepauk Super Gillies did so for the first time in 2021, having won their maiden title in 2019. The tournament wasn’t played in the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, the Super Gillies shared the spoils with the Kovai Kings.
This is how Twitter reacted
Out or Not out ??? Is this allowed in cricket ? #TNPL2023 #TNPLFinal
pic.twitter.com/GRntIMP4eO— CriiicWorld (@Criiicworld) July 12, 2023
Kovai beat Nellai by 104 runs to lift the maiden TNPL Title #TNPLonstarsports #Tnplfinal pic.twitter.com/XETGrqTgev
— Priyadarshan V J (@priyan02vj) July 12, 2023
Congratulations 🎉 @LycaKovaiKings 💙🔥😍#NammaOoruNammaGethu #TNPLfinal pic.twitter.com/Hp6UExClcr
— Abi (@Abi51240887) July 13, 2023
Lyca Kovai Kings are the 🏆 CHAMPIONS 🏆 of #TNPL2023 @LycaKovaiKings 👌👌👌#TNPLFinal #TNPL #TNPLonfancode #TNPLonstarsports #TamilNaduPremierLeague #Coimbatore #Kovai pic.twitter.com/VeklOVL0ye
— Dhivakar G (@Dhivakar_25) July 12, 2023
Coimbatore Ku Nu Oru Names Iruku
Airport Eh Illadha Oor Kudalam Finals Pottu
Engala Asinga Paduthiringala… #TNPLFINAL pic.twitter.com/RlWz1zeU7h
— ..மாவீரன்… (@bala53786147) July 12, 2023
நெல்லை vs கோவை 🤜🏆🤛#TNPLfinal pic.twitter.com/nW7HFwXl3l
— mr. MR_🐐 (@itz_mr_61) July 12, 2023
Bowlers to win Player of the Match awards in TNPL Finals :-
Ganesh Moorthi – 4/11 in 2016
Ganeshan Periaswamy – 5/15 in 2019
Sandeep Warrier – 4/29 in 2022
Jhatavedh Subramanyan – 4/21 today#TNPLFinal— Rhitankar Bandyopadhyay (@rhitankar8616) July 12, 2023
Good win for Lyca Kovai Kings. 🏆
Shahrukh Khan well lead #TNPLFinal— Rohan R Shanbhag (@rony619619) July 12, 2023
Biggest margin of wins (by runs) in TNPL Finals :-
122 runs – Tuti Patriots beat Super Gillies, 2016
104 runs – Kovai Kings beat Nellai, today
12 runs – Super Gillies beat Dindigul, 2019#TNPLFinal— Rhitankar Bandyopadhyay (@rhitankar8616) July 12, 2023
How can any team dropped so many catches ?#TNPL #TNPLFINAL #CricketTwitter
— Tradancy OG (@TradancyOG) July 12, 2023
