Dindigul Dragons vs IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans Match 1 Full Commentary

Result · Aug 04 2026, Tue - 07:30 PM (IST)

Match 1, - NPR College Ground

111/3 (18.3)

ITT

107/10 (15.4)

Dindigul Dragons beat IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans by 7 wickets

CRR:6.00

প্লেয়ার অফ দ্য ম্যাচ

Nirankar Sharma

0.0

Welcome back for Dindigul's reply. The two umpires and players have made their way out to the centre. Shivam Singh is the Impact Sub for Dindigul Dragons. He walks out to open alongside Anuraag Rajesh Nair. Sandeep Warrier has been subbed out. T Natarajan will start with the new ball. Anurag is on strike. A slip in place. Let's go...
0.0

.... THE RUN CHASE ...
0.0

Looking ahead - It's advantage Dindigul Dragons at the halfway stage. They will also have one eye on boosting their net run rate. Early wickets will be imperative for IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans if they are to set the cat among the pigeons and make a game of it. Stay tuned as the chase is coming up shortly.
0.0

Let's hear from P Bhuvaneswaran - Bhuvaneswaran feels that they, as a bowling unit, did the basics right and were rewarded. He says there is plenty to learn from Ravichandran Ashwin and adds that the management has shown faith in him, something he is determined to repay. Looking ahead to the chase, he feels the pitch has a bit of extra bounce and is offering some assistance to the fast bowlers, so the batters will need to apply themselves despite the modest target.
0.0

Dragons breathe fire - Amith Sathvik came out swinging, looking to take the attack to Dindigul right from the outset. However, he was undone quickly by P Bhuvaneswaran. At the other end, Sandeep Warrier also didn't quite find his rhythm straight away but still managed to remove the other opener. From that point onwards, Dindigul tightened the screws, making excellent use of the conditions. Tiruppur stuck to their aggressive approach, but it proved costly as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. After the pacers did the damage inside the Powerplay, it was debutant Nirankar Sharma's turn to shine. The leg-spinner starred with a three-wicket haul, leaving the defending champions with no chance of staging a recovery.
0.0

How the tables turn - In the 2025 TNPL final, Dindigul Dragons were bowled out for 102. Fast forward to tonight's season opener, and it's IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans who have been dismissed for 107. 21 runs came off the first five balls of the night as the defending champions flew out of the blocks, but from there, very little went their way.
15.4

OUT! CAUGHT! That's it. IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans have been bowled out for 107. Sakthi Karuppasamy M bashes the hard length and angles it into the bodyline of the batter. Ragupathy Silambarasan tries to shovel it away but he is rushed and spoons it tamely to mid-wicket, where Vimal Khumar moves to his right and does the rest.
15.3

FOUR! Spanked. On a back of a length, on off. Ragupathy Silambarasan hangs on the back foot and powers it down the ground, beating the dive of the long on fielder for a boundary.
15.2

Bumper yet again, over off, Ragupathy Silambarasan swings and misses. However, the ball just grazes the helmet of the batter, but he seems okay to continue.
15.1

Back of a length, wide outside off, Mohan Prasath guides it to short third for a single.
14.6

Short of a length, outside off, Ragupathy Silambarasan looks to cut it away but misses.
14.5

OUT! TAKEN! M Karthik Saran gets his name written on the wicket list, and Dindigul Dragons would hope to clean things up as fast as possible. Saran bangs a bouncer, over off. Esakkimuthu Ayyakutti opens his stance to take on the delivery and pulls it across, but fails to get on top of the bounce. It is skied off a top towards short fine leg. The skipper, Baba Indrajith, moves to his left and calls for the catch before pouching it safely into his gloves.
0.0

6 runs off the over so far.
14.4

Swing and a miss! On a nagging length, outside off, Esakkimuthu Ayyakutti goes for a wild swing and misses on the outside edge.
14.3

Back of a length, around leg, Mohan Prasath makes room and swats it to deep cover for one.
14.2

Bouncer, over off. Esakkimuthu Ayyakutti looks to duck underneath, but ends up dabbing it to long on for one.
14.1

FOUR! Thumped. Good-length delivery, offering a lot of width, outside off. Esakkimuthu Ayyakutti frees his arms and slaps it over the cover region for four runs. Also, 100 is up for IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans.
13.6

Fuller and at the sticks, Ayyakutti wrists it wide of mid-wicket for one.
13.5

Dug in short, over middle. Ayyakutti ducks under it.
13.4

FOUR! Hammered away. Pitched up by Warrier, on off. Ayyakutti does not move his feet much and whips it away in helicopter style back past the bowler. The mid off fielder stands no chance as the ball rockets to the fence.

0.0

That's a wrap - Dindigul maintain their perfect record in season openers since 2023, while Tiruppur's wait for a victory in a season opener stretches back to the same year. A double-header awaits us on Wednesday, 5th August. First up, Siechem Madurai Panthers take on Trichy Grand Cholas at 3.30 pm IST (10 am GMT). Later at 7.30 pm IST (2 pm GMT), Chepauk Super Gillies face Nellai Royal Kings. As always, be sure to join us early for all the build-up. Until then, take care and goodbye.
0.0

The captain of Dindigul Dragons - When asked about his constant chatter behind the stumps despite his calm demeanour, Baba Indrajith says communication is key, especially with a young group, and that he tries to keep talking to his bowlers throughout. Baba reveals the short-ball strategy was part of the pre-match planning and insists they would have gone in with the four pacers even if the wicket had not looked as green. Adds that the short ball served them well last season too and credits P Bhuvaneswaran for fighting back after a rough start. Indrajith is full of praise for debutant Nirankar Sharma, describing him as an exciting wrist-spinner who is never afraid of a challenge. He also commends Anuraag Rajesh Nair for the composure he showed during the chase. Speaking about Ravichandran Ashwin's influence, Baba says his presence gives him a sense of calm as captain. Believes that Ashwin's preparation and professionalism as a champion bowler have rubbed off on the rest of the squad.
0.0

PLAYER OF THE MATCH - Nirankar Sharma wins the award on debut, having returned figures of 3/21 from his 4 overs. Nirankar says he had been waiting years for this moment and couldn't have asked for a better debut performance. Speaking about his mentor, Ravichandran Ashwin, he says it has been a dream to work alongside him and is grateful for the opportunity to learn from one of the game's best. Reflecting on his journey to the TNPL, Nirankar reveals that he played in various tournaments across Tamil Nadu and attended trials wherever he could. Mentions that his perseverance eventually paid off when he was spotted unexpectedly and handed what he describes as a golden opportunity.
0.0

Time for the presentation ceremony...
0.0

The captain of IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans - Sai Kishore feels the toss played a crucial role in the outcome of the game but admits his side could have applied themselves better with the bat. He says the aggressive approach didn't come off but is pleased with the way the bowlers responded. Sai is particularly happy with the fighting spirit his side showed with the ball and believes the batting group is mature enough to understand where they went wrong. Adds that the conditions demanded a more measured approach with the bat and is confident the team will learn from this experience.
0.0

Damage done early - It was a frenetic start to the opening night, with Tiruppur trying to fight fire with fire, but it quickly went awry. You don't win many games after losing four wickets in the Powerplay, and without any meaningful partnerships to repair the damage, they never really recovered. P Bhuvaneswaran's first five balls disappeared for 21 runs, but he roared back spectacularly to inflict the damage on the defending champions. The right-arm seamer claimed three wickets before leggie Nirankar Sharma matched his effort with a three-wicket haul of his own.
0.0

Calm heads prevail - Chasing 108, Dindigul knew the key was not to hand Tiruppur a route back into the contest. Although they lost a couple of early wickets to some questionable shot selection, the required rate was never an issue. Anuraag Rajesh Nair and Vimal Khumar then put together a composed partnership that settled any early jitters and took the chase under their control. To Tiruppur's credit, they did well to dry up the boundaries and force the batters to work for their runs. Anuraag fell, but Vimal, who was given a reprieve on 10, stayed till the end to see the Dragons home with Hunny Saini for company.
0.0

Dragons begin with a win - Last season's runners-up have taken the first step in their bid to go one better with an opening-night victory. The defending champions, IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans, can take heart from the way they managed to stretch the contest despite having just 107 on the board.
18.3

SIX! Hunny Saini hits the winning runs in style. Dindigul Dragons are off to a flying start, and they truly breathed fire like a dragon. They beat the defending champions, IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans, by 7 wickets. Short of a length from Silambarasan, angling across off, offering quite some width. Hunny Saini extends his arms and flat bats it over the wide long off fence for half a dozen.
18.2

Sticks to the bumper, but he does not offer any pace at all, bowled at 104 kph, on middle. Saini waits and gets his hands high to slap it away but misses. Hunny is perplexed as to why it was not given as a wide for height. They do have the option to challenge the wide call, but they decide against it.
18.1

A well-directed short ball, following the batter as he backs away. Hunny Saini crouches to get under the ball but fails to connect with the upper cut.

17.6

SIX! KABOOM! Tossed up, fuller in length, at the stumps, Vimal Khumar shimmies down the track and gets to the pitch of it before launching it over long on for a biggie. The 100 is up for Dindigul Dragons. Just 3 more needed.
17.5

Full-length delivery, on off, Hunny Saini looks to heave but gets a slight inside edge while offering the shot. The ball hits the pads, before it rolls to short third. The batter gets a single.
17.4

FOUR! Predetermined and effective! Full-length delivery, around the leg stump. Hunny Saini brings out his reverse sweep and hits it toward deep point for four runs. 10 more needed from 14 balls.
17.3

Tossed up, fuller, on off, Vimal Khumar lofts it to long off and gets a single.
17.2

Crucial save! Fuller in length, at the stumps. Vimal Khumar lofts it downtown. Amith Sathvik sprints to his right from long on and pushes the ball away, preventing the boundary. He saves two important runs for the team.
17.1

Pitches it up, on middle, Hunny Saini sweeps it to deep square leg for a single.
16.6

Thigh-high full toss, on middle, Vimal Khumar has a heave across the line but ekes out an inside edge onto the pads, before it rolls back to the bowler.
16.5

Much fuller, nearly a yorker, on the stumps, Vimal Khumar jams it back to the bowler. Esakkimuthu Ayyakutti bends low to pick it up and throw at the striker's end, but fails to grab it. He gives a long stare at the batter.
16.4

Full, on off, Vimal Khumar drives it to mid off.