TNPL 2017, Qualifier 1 Review: Defending champions TuTi thrash Gillies by eight wickets

Albert TuTi Patriots stormed into the finals of the TNPL 2017 in style after beating Chepauk Super Gillies by eight wickets in Qualifier 1 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, on Tuesday. After bowling out Chepauk for 114, Patriots made a mockery of the target, chasing it down in just 12.3 overs, as Washington Sundar just toyed around with Chepauk bowlers. Chepauk still have a shot at the finals, though.

Chepauk, opting to bat first, had the in-form KH Gopinath dismissed early by Athisayaraj Davidson. He struck again during his second over when Thalaivan Sargunam played a lofted shot hitting it straight to Aushik Srinivas at mid-on. Vasanth Saravanan and S Karthik (33) just started to put on a good partnership, when Aswin Crist struck removing Vasanth who hit it to Aushik at long-on. Washington Sundar scalped his first wicket in his opening over as he sent the well-settled Karthik back. Sundar got another one in his second over with Abhinav Mukund completing a great catch diving to his right. Chepauk were in all sorts of trouble at 64/5.

Skipper R Sathish got out after a struggling inning where he could score only two runs after facing a dozen deliveries. Chepauk’s innings never really took off with only Antony Dhas waging a lone battle in the end. It was a slide as Davidson completed the formalities, finishing with his best TNPL figures 4 for 25. Chepauk couldn’t get going and the dependence on their openers showed.

Patriots showed why they are the defending champions and why they are unbeaten in the tournament. Patriots were in a hurry to finish the game as they got to 50 in just 2.5 overs. Sundar smashed the fastest fifty in TNPL history, in 15 balls and Chepauk had no answer to the onslaught. Sundar had set his mind right from the first over, when he smashed 24 runs, that included a hat trick of sixes. The match’s fate was sealed in the third over Patriots had scored 56, almost half of their required target.

The 15-ball fifty from Sundar is among the fastest that has been recorded on Indian soil in 20-over games where data was recorded. Robin Uthappa in the domestic T20 tournament hit fifty in 15 balls while Yusuf Pathan in the 2014 IPL and Jagadeesha Suchith in 2015 KPL also hit fifties in just 15 balls. However, Suchith and Sundar’s efforts don’t come in official record books as TNPL and KPL don’t attain official T20 status.

After sharing a partnership of 64 runs for the first wicket with Sundar (73 not out, out of which his contribution was only 9, Kaushik Gandhi was run out. The very next ball Sai Kishore disturbed Dinesh Karthik’s stumps. But the Patriots were well on course for a huge win and had plenty of batting left as Sri Lanka-return Abhinav Mukund joined the unstoppable Sundar. With no further damage done, Tuti got to the target in the 13th over.

Chepauk will now meet the winner of the clash between Karaikudi Kaalai and Lyca Kovai Kings, at ICL Ground, Sankarnagar on Friday (August 18).

Brief scores:

Chepauk Super Gillies- 114 in 20 overs (S Karthik 33 (26b, 3×4, 1×6); Athisayaraj Davidson 4/25, Washington Sundar 2/5)

Albert Tuti Patriots- 118 for 2 in 12.3 overs (Washington Sundar 73* (36b, 8×4, 4×6); Abhinav Mukund 33* (27b, 4×4); Sai Kishore 1/19)

Albert Tuti Patriots won the match by eight wickets.