TNPL 2022: To pull them to 130 was a good effort – Baba Indrajith

Nellai Royal Kings captain Baba Indrajith was delighted after his team defeated Dindigul Dragons by eight wickets at the NPR College Ground, Dindigul in the seventh match of the ongoing Tamil Nadu Premier League 2022.

NRK continued their good form in the tournament as this is their third consecutive win. The match was reduced to 12 overs/side after a rain-delayed start and DGD posted 130 runs after Indrajith won the toss and decided to bowl first.

DGD got off to a great start once again as their skipper Hari Nishanth and Vishal Vaidhya gave a fine platform to their team by scoring 82 runs in 7.3 overs. However, their middle order could not capitalize and NRK was able to get back into the contest after Sri Neranjan picked three wickets.

On the other hand, NRK did find themselves in a spot of bother as they were reduced to 34-2 after 4.3 overs. However, Sanjay Yadav continued his good form as he smashed 55 runs from 19 balls. Baba Indrajith also led from the front as he scored 59 from 30 balls to get his team over the line.

Baba Indrajith said in the post-match presentation, “Good performance. We came back from a tough situation in the powerplay and to pull them to 130 was a good effort too. We always tell the team that if we pick a couple of wickets in the middle, we can still come back. Lot of areas to improve. It wasn’t like it was a critical performance. We focus on the process, and we want to enjoy the tournament.”

Sanjay Yadav was awarded the Player of the Match for the second time in the tournament and he said after his blistering knock, “I thought if I stay till the end I knew I could finish the game. So just wanted to be there fully.”

Meanwhile, DGD skipper Hari Nishanth admitted that they were 15-20 runs short of a par score.

He said after the game, “It’s frustrating. Bowlers do get hit in this format, but we were short of 15-20 runs. Catching has been an issue but we will be back better. This tournament comes fast, so we have to come back quickly. We have to be on our toes and be proactive. We have to get together and there should not be frustration at all when you are in the middle. We are a good unit.”

NRK will next face Madurai Panthers on July 5 at the NPR College Ground, Dindigul.