TNPL 2023: Nellai Royal Kings beats Trichy Warriors in a rain-curtailed match 

G. Ajitesh in action against Ba11sy Trichy.
| Photo Credit: E. LAKSHMI NARAYANAN

G. Ajitesh smashed an unbeaten 56 (29b, 5×4, 4×6) and engaged in an unbroken 87-run third-wicket partnership with Nidhish Rajagopal (35, 21b, 2×4, 2×6) as Nellai Royal Kings posted an eight-wicket win over Ba11sy Trichy in a rain-affected Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) season seven match at the India Cement Company ground here on Wednesday.

Earlier, Jafar Jamal’s whirlwind 96 (53b, 6×4, 8×6) helped Ba11sy Trichy get to a total of 146 for six in 19 overs.

Opting to bowl, Nellai had Trichy struggle to 27 for two in the Power Play when rain interrupted.

It was all Jafar’s spectacular power-hitting in the 19-over Trichy innings after resumption.

Jafar versus Poiyamozhi was the most engrossing part of the knock. B. Aparajith on TV commentary spoke of batters having to wait relatively longer to make contact and holding the shape at the point of contact to Poiyamozhi whose stock ball is his slower delivery.

Jafar set the live example for it — he hit back-to-back sixes to deep midwicket off Poiyamozhi’s slower balls in the 16th over. But Poiyamozhi stayed away from his hitting arc by bowling a wider line and had him sky to be dropped, edge behind for four, and eventually edge behind to the keeper in the 18th over.

It rained in the innings break and Nellai was set a target of 130 to get in 16 overs by the DLS method. Trichy bowlers struggled to grip the wet ball.

Ajitesh finely flicked Antony Dhas for a six over the fine leg boundary, and absolutely smoked a six over cover boundary off Godson.

The scores: Ba11sy Trichy 146/6 in 19 overs (Jafar Jamal 96, M. Poiyamozhi 2/35) lost to Nellai Royal Kings 135/2 in 11.5 overs (G. Ajitesh 56 n.o., Nidhish Rajagopal 35 n.o., K. Easwaran 2/28).