Lyca Kovai Kings vs Siechem Madurai Panthers Final Full Commentary

We are back for the all-important run chase. The umpires are back out in the middle and so are the fielders for Lyca Kovai Kings. It will be the Impact Sub, Siddharth Mahadevan, to open the innings alongside Ram Kumar for Siechem Madurai Panthers. Also, K Deeban Lingesh will get things going with the ball for Kovai.

... The Run Chase ...

Not much in it - A bit of a rollercoaster ride for Madurai out there in the field. After a good start with the ball, they wasted the middle overs, failing to pick up wickets or even put pressure on the batters. P Saravanan then came back and broke the big stand, setting the stage for a fine comeback. Saravanan finished with 4 wickets to his name as Rohan Bhutra remained economical. Gurjapneet Singh was superb at the death and conceded just 20 runs off his 4 overs and even picked up a wicket. Overall, the Panthers will be pretty happy chasing 183 for the win, and their skipper even mentioned that 180 is something they were looking to keep the opposition down to. However, it is a final, and there will be pressure on the chasing side, which will add to the drama. Stay tuned as the run chase is up next.

Birthday boy leads the way - It was a topsy-turvy start for Kovai, and they lost both their openers when the score was just 34. Then came the stand between Andre Siddarth and Balasubramaniam Sachin. Sachin has been the standout of the season but his timing just wasn't there. Siddarth was the one who dominated proceedings as the duo put on 117 runs for the third wicket. However, once the partnership was broken, things went downhill for Kovai. They managed to muster up a few runs at the death and breached the 180-run mark but Siddarth's 82 off 47 was truly the standout.

Honors even at the halfway mark - For a long while, it felt like Lyca Kovai Kings would get close to the 200-run mark, but Siechem Madurai Panthers have done well to pull things back, and it now seems really 50-50 at the break. Madurai even have the momentum going into the interval, but Kovai wll feel they have enough runs on the board to defend.

G Kishoor is in next.

K Deeban Lingesh is the new batter in.

Madhava Prasad walks in at number 7.

End of an era - The 10th edition of the Tamil Nadu Premier League has come to an epic end, and this marks a decade's worth of memories, not just for the tournament itself, but also for the players and the fans involved. Kovai Kings lift their second solo title, a third one in total, as they were joint winners with Chepauk Super Gillies in the 2022 rained-off final. That is it then from us, and we sincerely hope that you enjoyed the coverage as much as we enjoyed bringing it to you. Here's to hoping that the new decade of the TNPL is even grander and we get plenty more memories to take back. For now, it's time to say goodbye. ADIOS! TAKE CARE!

There's only one thing left to do - Shahrukh Khan goes on to the stage, where his teammates and coaching staff are waiting. The fireworks go off as Shahrukh lifts the trophy before slipping into the background and letting the young guns get their hands on the coveted piece of silverware.

The title-winning captain of Kovai - Shahrukh Khan says that they had a plan in place from the first day, and they tried to keep things simple, which has been the X-factor for them over the last 5 years. Feels that it might look from the outside that they had plenty of plans going on behind the scenes, but actually, they just kept it simple. Goes on to credit the support staff and the players for sticking together when the chips were down, and he knows it is a cliche, but it's still great to see. On the star performers, SRK says that he doesn't want to single out anybody and feels that everyone played their part, and calls his players good boys who listen to what's being told by the coaching staff or on the field. He ends by saying that they are a team that's known to bounce back, and feels that they were meant to have a lean patch sometime, which came last season, so credit to the boys for coming back this season.

Up next, it is time for the coaching staff and players of Kovai Kings to receive their winners' medals.

Let's hear from the Madurai skipper - B Anirudh Sita Ram says that it has been a great season to sum it up, and no one gave them much of a chance. Feels that an off day like today can happen, but he is proud of the way the side played. On his captaincy, he says that he isn't particularly new to captaining and just wanted to keep the environment positive. Mentions that they had a policy to not get too excited after wins, and also not sulk after losses. Ends by saying that it is a fairly new team in the sense that a lot of the players are new to the franchise, and they are just getting started. Anirudh then goes to the stage and joins his team as Siechem Madurai Panthers lift the runners-up trophy.

Next up, the coaching staff and the players of Siechem Madurai Panthers receive their runners-up medals.

Player of the Tournament - Balasubramaniam Sachin has been adjudged the Player of the Season for his stellar batting display throughout the whole season. Sachin mustered up 428 runs in 9 innings, at an average of 53.50.

Time for the season awards - K Deeban Lingesh gets the award for the highest wicket-taker, finishing with 17 wickets to his name. Balasubramaniam Sachin then gets the award for the highest run-scorer of the tournament, with 428 runs at an average of 53.5. R.S. Ambrish of the Kovai Kings as well gets the award for the Emerging Player of the Season.

Player of the Match - Birthday boy, Andre Siddarth, gets the accolade for his stellar knock of 82 off 47 deliveries. Siddarth says that he had no personal milestone in the back of his mind and just wanted to do well for his team. On the conversation with Balasubramaniam Sachin, he says that he told Sachin to just keep rotating strike and he (Siddarth) will go for the big wickets. Feels that he has enough self-belief to go after the big shots and thankfully, he got it done today.

The Presentation ceremony...

An engrossing, but one-sided final - A few of the players from Lyca Kovai Kings have some words with the broadcasters on the win and we can see plenty of happy faces out there, including the likes of Radhakrishnan, Balasubramaniam Sachin, and Jhathavedh Subramanyan, among others. Earlier in the evening, it was Andre Siddarth's standout knock that propelled Kovai to 182 runs. For Madurai Panthers, P Saravanan stood out with a four-fer. Also, interestingly, it is the sixth TNPL final that Manimaran Siddharth has been a part of, and he's won all six of them.

So close yet so far - Siechem Madurai Panthers were the definite standouts in the group stage, but they have fumbled it big time with the bat. Right from the first ball of the chase, they were under pressure as they lost Ram Kumar. Their Impact sub also fell for a duck and a lot relied on the shoulders of NS Chaturved. Last time against Kovai, he scored the fastest ton in the TNPL and he once again showed signs of that rare form. However, he got greedy, and after having taken down Jhathavedh Subramanyan for a couple of boundaries, he went for a third one and got caught. After the dismissal of Chaturved, B Anirudh Sita Ram tried to just rotate strike and waited for the bad deliveries, but the required rate was going up and the batters at the other end just kept coming in and swinging for the fences, which only resulted in them getting out. Eventually, Anirudh remained unbeaten on 24 off 25 balls but everyone at the other end got out. A tough pill to swallow but the Panthers have a lot to be proud of.

A bowling display for the ages - Qualifier 2 and the Final - both were dream performances with the ball from the Kovai Kings. They scored 183 in Qualifier 2 and bowled Trichy out for 99, and today they scored one run less with the bat, but also managed to bowl out Madurai for just 98 runs, winning again by a huge margin of 84 runs. K Deeban Lingesh got a golden hat-trick last time around, and again he picked up a wicket off the very first ball, setting the tone for things to come. He finished with 2 wickets, and 17 in total for the tournament, ending as the leading wicket-taker Later in the second half, Manimaran Siddharth and Shahrukh Khan just ran through the Madurai batting order, picking up three wickets each. Siddharth was left stranded on a hat-trick opportunity as SRK got the one remaining wicket, but Siddharth did get the winning catch.

Champions again - Lyca Kovai Kings are TNPL champions for a third time, and what a comeback season this has been from this outfit. Manimaran Siddharth takes the final catch and Kovai's dug-out runs out on the field, celebrating together. It is a stellar victory and Kovai Kings have truly dominated in the knockouts. Spare a thought for Siechem Madurai Panthers as well, and for B Anirudh Sita Ram, their skipper, who was left stranded at the other end as the wickets kept falling all around him. Madurai were brilliant but it just wasn't meant to be for them in the Final.

P Vignesh is the last man in for Madurai.

Rohan Bhutra is the new batter in.

Manimaran Siddharth is back on, replacing Jhathavedh Subramanyan.