TNPL 2022 Updated Points Table: Unstoppable Nellai win five games in a row - Updated after Match 14
The in-form Nellai Royal Kings came into match 14 of TNPL 2022 on the back of four successive wins to start their campaign.
They were up against the IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans in the first match of a doubleheader on Sunday, July 10, at the SNR College Ground in Coimbatore, the first match at this venue.
Nellai obliterated the IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans en route to their fifth win on the trot, virtually sealing their spot in the playoffs.
Winning the toss and choosing to bowl first, seamer K Easwaran got Nellai's bowling innings to an excellent start. In his three overs in the powerplay, he accounted for the Tiruppur top three, reducing them to 29/3 in six overs.
The spinners then put the choke on, and just when a partnership was building, wickets began falling once more. Maan Bafna was the only batter who looked comfortable in the middle, but even he couldn't accelerate during the death overs.
On a sluggish surface, Nellai's strategy to bowl their spinners in the last seven overs paid off as Tiruppur couldn't go big in the last five overs. They could manage only a meager total of 117/8.
It was a clinical run chase from the Nellai Royal Kings, with Baba Aparajith playing the anchor's role. While they lost NS Harish early on, Suryaprakash and Aparajith built a 77-run partnership that almost won them the game.
While they did encounter a mini-collapse following Suryaprakash's dismissal at 86/1 in the 12th over, Aparajith took the team close to the finish line, with G Ajitesh finishing off in style.
TNPL 2022 Updated Points Table
The margin and manner of defeat adds to the Tiruppur Tamizhans' woes, sending them down to seventh place. With only one win in three matches, they need to bounce back strong in upcoming games.
As for the Nellai Royal Kings, they need to ensure they finish top of the table, a fitting reward for the dominance they've shown this season.