CHENNAI: Half-centuries by K Rajkumar (71), J Suresh Kumar (60) and K Easwaran's 4/25 came in handy for Trichy Grand Cholas to beat Dindigul Dragons by 28 runs (DLS method) in a rain-affected game of the TNPL at the MA Chidambaram stadium here on Wednesday.
Rajkumar and Suresh were involved in a 118 runs stand for the first wicket which was vital in Trichy posting 197/4 in 19 overs against Dindigul. The duo chose the right bowler to attack and did so with ease. Varun Chakaravarthy, playing his first game after he suffered a hamstring injury in the England T20I series, was not that impressive. Rajkumar was harsh on Bhuvaneshwaran and scored 30 runs off the medium-pacer in his first spell of two overs. He used the short boundaries at the Walajah Road to score the majority of his runs.
Trichy were 41 for no loss in three overs when rain halted play. One play resumed after 45 minutes, Trichy lost the tempo partly due to the outfield and the introduction of ace spinner Varun. Sanjay Yadav made a quickfire 33 while Jaffer Jamal made a valuable 21 towards the end to help Trichy post a decent total.
Meanwhile, Dindigul had a disastrous start with VM Vinneth getting out cheaply. After that Shivam Singh (47) and B Indrajith (32) built a partnership. Once they fell, RK Jayant tried his best, but fell short.
Brief scores: Trichy 197/4 in 19 ovs (K Rajkumar 71, J Suresh Kumar 60, R Sanjay Yadav 33 n,.o, Vijay Arul 2/30) bt Dindigul Dragons 170/8 in 19 ovs (Shivam Singh 47, B Indrajith 32, RK Jayant 34 n.o, K Easwaran 4/25, Anthony Dhas 3/25).
