Lokeshwar had his fifty (66, 44b, 8×4, 1×6). Shahrukh Khan had his fireworks (18-ball 34). Deeban Lingesh had his hat-trick (three for 14). Siddharth had his four wickets (four for 11).

Trichy Grand Cholas, meanwhile, had a tragedy in four acts, as two-time champion Vida Kovai Kings stormed into the TNPL-10 final with an 84-run win in Qualifier 2 at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium here on Wednesday.

Kovai Kings will face Madurai Panthers in the summit clash on Friday.

S. Lokeshwar
| Photo Credit:
R. RAGU

The Kovai side’s 183 for five was built on a 104-run opening partnership between S. Lokeshwar and S. Radhakrishnan (48), both of whom were given reprieves.

Lokeshwar was dropped on seven and Radhakrishnan on 26, while the Grand Cholas later conceded another boundary through a misfield.

Radhakrishnan went after pacer P. Saravana Kumar, while Lokeshwar repeatedly used his feet against the spinners and reached his seventh TNPL fifty from 29 balls.

Medium-pacer R. Rajkumar’s three wickets (three for 29), along with a sharp catch in the deep, prevented the innings from getting completely away, but skipper Shahrukh Khan’s late assault ensured his team finished strongly.

The Tiruchi outfit’s chase was derailed immediately.

Medium-pacer K. Deeban Lingesh struck with a hat-trick off the first three balls — K. Rajkumar edging behind, S. Shyam Sundar edging to slip, and J. Kousik bowled — before completing the opening over as a maiden.

Left-arm spinner M. Siddharth then had Sanjay Yadav (1) caught behind and Jafar Jamal bowled through the gate with an arm-ball in successive deliveries in the fourth over.

At seven for five after 21 balls, Grand Cholas had gone from chasing 184 to a fight for survival. There was no way back.

Siddharth later removed R. Rajkumar (7) and Antony Dhas (6) to finish with the best bowling figures of the season.

The scores: Vida Kovai Kings 183/5 in 20 overs (S. Radhakrishnan 48, S. Lokeshwar 66, Shahrukh Khan 34, R. Rajkumar 3/29) bt Trichy Grand Cholas 99 in 15.4 overs (J. Suresh Kumar 48, K. Deeban Lingesh 3/14, M. Siddharth 4/11, R. Divakar (Impact Player) 2/14).

Friday’s match (final): Madurai Panthers vs. Vida Kovai Kings, 7.30 p.m.