The statisticians were made to work overtime on Saturday as the Tamil Nadu Premier League Season 10 playoff race delivered a close finish.

In a competition that went down to the wire, Madurai Panthers (10 points), Vida Kovai Kings (eight) and iDream Tiruppur Tamizhans (eight) joined Trichy Grand Cholas (10) in the top four on the last day of the gripping league phase.

Two spots were up for grabs when the final first-round match between playoff aspirants Nellai Royal Kings and Panthers got underway at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium here. At the end of it, the Madurai side not only sealed a Qualifier 1 berth with a comprehensive 72-run victory but also lent a helping hand to the Tiruppur outfit.

While the Royal Kings’ target for a top-two seat was 199, the magic number they chased was 144, a score which would have guaranteed them a path to the next stage. But a collapse of epic proportions – from 92 for three to 126 all-out – led to its elimination.

Shoaib Mohammed Khan (65, 43b, 6×4, 3×6 and two for 20) came up with a Player-of-the-Match show while a number of other players also contributed to the big win.

The Tiruppur team’s fate was no longer in its hands after it suffered a 45-run defeat to SKM Salem Spartans earlier in the day. With the result, Spartans avoided the ignominy of going winless in this campaign and Kovai Kings confirmed a final-four spot.

Karthick Manikandan (57, 40b, 5×4, 2×6), a young slow bowler aspiring to be an all-rounder, produced a knock of substance before seasoned left-arm spinner Rahil Shah (three for 23) and pacer M. Poiyamozhi (two for 11) kept the Tamizhans batters in check.

The scores: SKM Salem Spartans 169/8 in 20 overs (Karthick Manikandan 57, M. Mathivannan 3/18) bt iDream Tiruppur Tamizhans 124/9 in 20 overs (Tushar Raheja 75, M. Poiyamozhi 2/11, Rahil Shah (Impact Player) 3/23).

Madurai Panthers 198/5 in 20 overs (Hari Ragavendra 35, Shoaib Mohammed Khan 65, Atheeq Ur Rahman 50 n.o., Emmanuel Cherian 3/40) bt Nellai Royal Kings 126 in 19.1 overs (G. Ajitesh 56, Shoaib Mohammed Khan 2/20, Gurjapneet Singh 2/14, P. Vignesh 2/19, G. Periyasamy (IP) 2/16).

The schedule: Sunday (Qualifier 1): Madurai Panthers vs. Trichy Grand Cholas (7:30 p.m.); Monday (Eliminator): Vida Kovai Kings vs. iDream Tiruppur Tamizhans (7:30 p.m.).