Trichy Grand Cholas defeated Nellai Royal Kings by 45 runs at NPR College Ground, Dindigul, on Tuesday, with captain J. Suresh Kumar’s 58 and R. Rajkumar’s 45 propelling them to 182 before Athisayaraj Davidson’s four-wicket burst dismantled the Nellai chase. In the day’s second TNPL 2026 fixture, iDream Tiruppur Tamizhans ran down a target of 167 to beat Vida Kovai Kings by four wickets, powered by Amith Sathvik’s rapid 66, securing their third consecutive win of the tournament.
Dindigul, Tamil Nadu: There are days in T20 cricket when a total feels merely competitive, and there are days when the ball does the talking so emphatically that the number on the board becomes almost incidental. Tuesday at NPR College Ground belonged to the latter category, as Trichy Grand Cholas discovered that 182 can look considerably larger when delivered with venom in the opening over.
For Tiruppur Tamizhans, meanwhile, the story was one of building momentum rather than sudden violence — a third straight victory that suggests a side settling into its rhythm at precisely the right point in the competition.
Suresh Kumar and Rajkumar rescue a shaky start
Trichy’s innings did not begin as the scorecard would eventually suggest. Sachin Rathi, Nellai’s left-arm spinner, made early inroads that threatened to derail the innings before it found any rhythm, removing K. Rajkumar, Bhavan and J. Kousik in quick succession. His fourth over — a double-wicket maiden — was as good as any spell bowled in the competition this season, and for a period it looked as though Trichy might be staring at a modest total.
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It was the captain, J. Suresh Kumar, who steadied the ship, striking 58 off just 32 balls with four fours and three sixes to drag the innings back onto a competitive footing. R. Rajkumar then accelerated things further, adding 45 off 19 balls in a knock that turned a defendable total into a genuinely imposing one.
Davidson’s opening over sets the tone for collapse
If the batting effort had rescued Trichy from a difficult start, it was Athisayaraj Davidson who ensured Nellai never recovered from theirs. His figures of 4 for 24 in three overs were built on an opening over that will be remembered long after the scorecard fades — D. Santhosh Kumar bowled for a first-ball duck, followed immediately by G. Ajitesh caught at cover, also off the first ball he faced.
Davidson was not finished. He returned to remove N.S. Harish for 3, caught at long-off, and later bowled Sonu Yadav for 12 with a well-disguised yorker. Rajkumar backed up his batting exploits with the ball too, taking two wickets for 39 runs with his off-cutters, accounting for Rithik Easwaran (18) and Muhammed Adnan Khan (3).
Mukilesh’s fight came too late
Amid the wreckage, U. Mukilesh offered the only genuine resistance, striking 63 off 45 balls with two fours and three sixes to at least give the chase some respectability. But with partners falling around him — Nellai were eventually bowled out for 137 — his effort could only delay the inevitable rather than threaten a serious turnaround.
Sathvik’s back-to-back sixes power Tiruppur’s chase
In the tournament’s second fixture of the day, Tiruppur Tamizhans faced a target of 167 against Vida Kovai Kings and found their platform through opener Amith Sathvik. His 66 off 29 balls, laced with five fours and six sixes, marked his second consecutive half-century of the campaign and set the tone for a comfortable, if not entirely straightforward, chase.
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Sathvik’s assault was notable for its symmetry — back-to-back sixes off spinner Shahrukh Khan, first a slog-sweep to deep backward square leg and then a pull to cow corner, followed later by another pair of consecutive maximums off pacer G. Kishoor, cutting one over the sweeper before hooking the next to fine leg. It was the kind of innings that takes the sting out of a required run rate almost single-handedly.
Natarajan strikes to keep Kovai Kings honest
Vida Kovai Kings were not without their moments earlier in the match. Left-arm seamer T. Natarajan gave Tiruppur’s bowling attack the breakthroughs it needed, finishing with 2 for 24 in four overs, removing R.S. Ambrish for 10, caught at deep midwicket, before accounting for Kovai Kings captain Shahrukh Khan, who was undone by a bouncer he could only guide to short third man for 18. Those wickets ensured Tiruppur’s eventual chase, completed with four wickets in hand, carried at least some tension before Sathvik’s fireworks settled the contest.
Looking ahead
Trichy Grand Cholas will take considerable confidence from a performance built on both batting depth and bowling firepower, while Nellai Royal Kings must address a powerplay problem that has now proven costly. For Tiruppur Tamizhans, a third consecutive win establishes them as one of the tournament’s most consistent sides heading into the coming rounds, with Sathvik’s form in particular likely to draw close attention as TNPL 2026 progresses toward its business end.
