CHENNAI: Sai Kishore’s 3 for 14 helped Chepauk Super Gillies beat Dindigul Dragons by eight wickets in Qualifier 2 and storm into the final of the TNPL 5 at the MA Chidambaram stadium here on Friday.
Apart from Sai Kishore, the other Chepauk spinners, be it M Siddharth, R Alexander, too bowled tidy lines and were economical too. With all of them being left-arm spinners with distinct styles, they might have created doubt in the minds of Dindigul batsmen. Chepauk will meet Ruby Trichy Warriors in the final on Sunday.
Earlier put in to bat, Dindigul Dragons had a poor start as they lost Vimal Khumar and Mani Bharathi in quick succession. R Srinivasan too perished leaving Dindigul in dire straits at 44 for 3.
Despite there being no demons in the pitch, the Dindigul top-order batsmen failed to build partnerships. Skipper Hari Nishanth (56) waged a lone battle holding fort at one end and helping the team put 103 runs on the board.
Full marks for Chepauk spinners Sai Kishore and B Arun for bowling a nagging line and length to trouble the Dindigul batsmen.
R Vivek who has the ability to change the course of the game with his powerful strikes disappointed. He though struck Sai Kishore for a six but was undone the very next ball. Sai Kishore varied the pace and length inducing Vivek to play a false stroke which was neatly held by Sonu Yadav in the deep.
Hari Nishanth while trying to accelerate the run rate holed out to Sai Kishore in the deep off Harish Kumar. Apart from bowling intelligently Sai Kishore proved to be a safe fielder in the deep too.
Chasing a below-par target, Chepauk romped home without fuss. Kaushik Gandhi (53) was harsh on Silambarasan as he struck the left-arm spinner for four consecutive boundaries and a six to pocket 22 runs in the over.
Brief scores: Dindigul Dragons 103 all out in 20 ovs (Hari Nishanth 56, Sai Kishore 3/14) lost to Chepauk Super Gillies 106 for 2 in 16 ovs (Kaushik Gandhi 53).