Tuti Patriots make it to the TNPL semi-finals with a huge win

Following a 33-run win against the Madurai Super Giants at the Chepauk, Albert Tuti Patriots have confirmed their semis berth edging past Lyca Kovai Kings’ NRR marginally. After posting 167 while batting first, Tuti needed to restrict Madurai inside 138 to confirm their semis berth and they managed to stop their opposition at 134. Karaikudi will now need a beat Ruby in the final league game with a considerable margin to make it through ahead of Kovai.

After electing to bat, Tuti Patriots lost Sushil’s wicket in the 3rd over. But Kaushik Gandhi ensured his side piled on the runs during the field restrictions along with Maaruthi Raghav. They put on 56 in just 6.1 overs before Maaruthi, who hit 2 fours and a six in his 22 was trapped in front by Suresh Kumar. Runs dried up for Tuti after the 2nd wicket as they were 97/2 after 15 overs. Kaushik Gandhi and Washinton Sundar managed to add just 32 in 37 balls after Maaruthi Raghav’s wicket.

Kaushik brought up his fifty in 39 balls with 4 fours and a six. He struck 3 consecutive fours in the first 3 balls in 17th over against Raja while Washington struck a four and six against Muruganantham in the 18th over. Kaushik struck consecutive sixes to Shijit Chandran in the penultimate over but the bowler came back well to get the danger man stumped.

Kaushik Gandhi had already done the damage with 86 off 55 balls with 8 fours and 3 sixes. He shared an 85-run stand in 10 overs with Washington for the 3rd wicket. Sundar got out in the final over after a helping 34 off 31 balls. Despite losing 3 wickets in the last over, Tuti yielded 11 runs in the last over to finish at 167/6. Patriots scored 70 runs in the last 5 overs.

It was the same old story for Madurai Super Giants as they lost their openers Arun Karthik and Vignesh cheaply and their captain Shijit Chandran tried to reconstruct his side’s innings. Chandran put on a 51-run stand with M Bafna in 7.3 overs after they lost 13/3 in 3 overs.

Shijit scored 33 off 33 with 2 sixes and a four before he was cleaned up by an Aswin Crist’s delivery. Bafna scored run-a-ball 18 while Suresh Kumar scored 17 in the same number of balls as Madurai crawled past 100. With a couple of sixes and a four, Francis scored 28 in 22 as the Super Giants finished at 134/8.

Brief Scores:

Albert Tuti Patriots – 167/6 in 20 overs (Kaushik Gandhi 86, Washington Sundar 34; M Raja 3/41)

Madurai Super Giants – 134/8 in 20 overs (Shijit Chandran 33, Francis Rokins 28; Ganesh Moorti 2/15, Aushik Srinivas 2/23, Aswin Crist 2/31)