In a low-scoring thriller, SMP defeated Trichy by 7 wickets in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) 2023 on Thursday. Trichy won the toss and got for the bat. Batting first, Ba11sy Trichy could score minimal 105 runs and were all out in the 19th over of the match. No other batsman other than K Mani Bharathi could add big to the team’s score.
K Mani contributed 48 runs, which was the most from any individual. Daryl Sundar Ferrario and Francis Rokins were the other highest run contributors for they scored 21 and 18 runs respectively. Apart from these three batters, no other batter could even touch the two-digit score.
The game was competitive throughout, with both sides giving their all to win. After their early fall at 105, the match looked one-sided. Trichy got off to a bad start, with openers GS Raju and T Saran going back in quick haste at 0 and 5 respectively. The SMP bowlers struck in the initial overs, dismissing the Trichy batsmen at regular intervals.
The Trichy were all out at 105, leaving a little hope for victory. Going to chase an easy-looking target, SMP got off to a good start, with openers Suresh Lokeshwar and C Hari Nishaanth on 43 runs for the first wicket. However, the Trichy bowlers struck back in the middle overs, dismissing SMP’s top order.
The match was evenly poised throughout, with neither team able to gain a significant advantage. SMP’s bowlers did well to restrict Trichy to 105, while their batsmen showed great character to defend their total.
SMP’s middle order then stepped up, with Jagatheesan Kousik scoring 19 and Swapnil Singh scoring 25 not out, to help the team reach an easy-to-chase total. Washington Sundar amassed the winning runs and scored unbeaten 18 runs.
With this win, SMP moved to 4th place on the TNPL 2023 points table. So far, they have won three of their five games. Trichy, on the other hand, is in 8th place with zero wins in this season. Trichy has played a total of 5 matches and lost in them all.
P Saravanan was adjudged the man of the match for his brilliant spell of 3/23.