A one-sided match decided the winners of the inaugural Tamil Nadu Premier League as Albert Tuti Patriots comprehensively outplayed Chepauk Super Gillies by 122 runs to take the title at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday.
Abhinav Mukund (82 not out from 55 balls) and a punishing knock from skipper Dinesh Karthik (55 from 26 balls) set the tone for the Patriots to help them amass 215/2 after opting to bat first. The Gillies lost four wickets in the first over of their chase to spinner M Ganesh Moorthi (4/11), and subsequently limped to a heavy defeat.
On paper, it was the Patriots who were the stronger team coming into contest. On a flat pitch, the listless Super Gillies bowling attack was put to the sword by Kaushik Gandhi (59 runs from 43 balls) and the graceful Mukund. The openers brought up a 132-run opening stand. It was Karthik's quickfire half-century that helped the Patriots get past the 200 mark.
Removing four wickets in the first over, which included taking a hat-trick, Ganesh Moorthi put his team on course. The experienced head of Laksmipathy Balaji (2/8) snared the wickets of the well-set Sathiamoorty Saravanan as well the one of Yo Mahesh. Befittingly, Mukund picked up the final wicket of the match.
Brief Scores:
Albert Tuti Patriots 215/2 in 20 Overs (Abhinav Mukund 82 not out, Kaushik Gandhi 59, Dinesh Karthik 55) beat Chepauk Super Gillies 93 in 18.5 overs (Satiamoorty Saravanan 30, Antony Dhas 16; M Ganesh Moorthi 4/11, Lakshmipathy Balaji 2/8) by 122 runs.
