M. Shahrukh Khan wasn’t at his best in the first six matches of TNPL-10, but it seemed the Vida Kovai Kings skipper was saving his best for the last.

In a must-win final league game for his side, the swashbuckling batter unfurled his full repertoire of bludgeoning strokes, smashing an unbeaten 18-ball 59 (4×4, 6×6), to set up Kovai Kings’ thumping 85-run victory (DLS method) over Dindigul Dragons here at the MAC Stadium on Friday.

Put in to bat, Kovai Kings openers S. Radhakrishnan and S. Lokeshwar got the team off strongly, collecting 56 in the PowerPlay. With Kings at 96 for three in 12.1 overs, a heavy downpour stopped proceedings for 75 minutes.

Once the game resumed – truncated to 16 overs per side – Shahrukh wasted no time in raining sixes as the two-time champion plundered 75 runs in the remaining 3.5 overs to amass 171 for three.

The 31-year-old pulled leggie Nirankar Sharma over midwicket for his first maximum, and it was a sign of things to come. In the next over, he went after Sandeep Warrier, tonking him for three boundaries and a six in a 23-run over.

Shahrukh then closed it out in style with a hat-trick of sixes off pacer S. Karuppasamy, the second of which took him past his half-century.

Chasing a revised target of 179, Dragons hit trouble straightaway, losing opener Shivam Singh off the first delivery. From there it was all downhill for the 2024 champion. Left-arm spinner M. Siddharth scalped two wickets in the fourth over, and later Jhathavedh Subramanyan struck thrice in the eighth over to reduce Dragons to 59 for six and seal the contest in Kovai’s favour.

Later in the evening, Trichy Grand Cholas became the first team to qualify for the Playoffs, beating Chepauk Super Gillies by 14 runs and moving to the top of the table with 10 points. Opting to bat, Grand Cholas made 191 for seven, riding on half-centuries from S. Shyam Sundar and Sanjay Yadav.

In reply, K. Aashiq single-handedly kept CSG in the hunt, scoring a fine 75 (41b, 11×4, 2×6), but he lacked support from others as the four-time champion crashed out of the competition.

The scores: Vida Kovai Kings 171 for three in 20 overs (S. Lokeshwar 31, B. Sachin 30 n.o., M. Shahrukh Khan 59 n.o.) bt Dindigul Dragons 93 for nine in 13.2 overs (M. Siddharth 2/21, Jhathavedh Subramanyan 4/12) by DLS method.

Trichy Grand Cholas 191/7 in 20 overs (S. Shyam Sundar 52, Sanjay Yadav 54, Swapnil Singh 2/21, M. Silambarasan 3/43) bt Chepauk Super Gillies 177/6 in 20 overs (K. Aashiq 75, Ram Arvindh 32, Easwaran 2/28).

Saturday’s matches: iDream Tiruppur Tamizhans vs. SKM Salem Spartans (3.30 p.m.); Nellai Royal Kings vs. Madurai Panthers (7.30 p.m.).