CHENNAI: Maan Bafna rose to the occasion in a tense chase to help Tiruppur Tamizhans get over the line by three wickets with a ball to spare against Nellai Royal Kings in their TNPL clash at the MA Chidambaram Stadium here on Monday.
Sent in to bat, Nellai were bundled out for 148 after M Mohammed took three wickets for Tiruppur in 3.5 miserly overs. The run chase began shakily for Tiruppur and they continued to lose wickets at frequent intervals. But Bafna – having come in at No 4 – showed composure to shepherd the case and eventually ensure a narrow win.
While B Aparajith couldn’t produce a big score with the bat, he infused hope for Nellai with the ball, taking 3 wickets for just 9 runs. The effort wasn’t enough, though, as Tiruppur sneaked past the finishing line.
Brief scores: Nellai Royal Kings 148 in 19.5 ovs (L Suryaprakash 43; M Mohammed 3/23) lost to Tiruppur Tamizhans 149/7 in 19.5 ovs (Maan Bafna 72 not out).