However, under the floodlights of Dindigul and in front of a packed home crowd, the Dindigul Dragons took the field hoping to seal their place in style. Having posted a competitive but not sensational 150 on a tricky surface, and with Trichy collapsing to 24 for 4 in the fifth over, the Dragons couldn’t have been blamed for thinking they had already scorched the Grand Cholas! But by the end of the night, it was Dindigul left fuming in disbelief as Sanjay Yadav’s perspicacity sealed a 4-wicket win with three balls to spare. So, how did a match that appeared gift-wrapped for the Dragons slip right out of their clutches?
Top-Order Tumble Ruined the Launchpad
Let’s attack the obvious wound first: the top order drag. At no stage did Dindigul’s batting take off. Ravichandran Ashwin was gone after four balls, Baba Indrajith was out without scoring, and Maan Bafna was in and out before they could even get the Powerplay party started! Only Shivam Singh and Vimal Khumar looked at home with the bat, with Vimal doing all the late scoring heavy lifting.
Sure, 150 looked defendable, but it was never dominant. The Dragons’ batting innings was pieced together by lots of little sparks rather than a blazing fire. When your first three batters score 42 runs off 49 balls, you are going to be behind the eight ball—even on a two-paced deck.
Sanjay Yadav – The Game Thief in Broad Daylight
Then came the Yadav show. Sanjay Yadav, Trichy’s middle-order magician, played the innings of a man who had read the script and opted to ad lib. Walking out to bat with his team gasping at 24 for 4, Sanjay soaked up the early storm and counterpunched with surgical precision. His undefeated 55 runs off 45 balls was not just about runs, it was about nerve.
He turned the strike over as the spinners tightened the noose around his neck, capitalized on sends that were – literally – delivered on the plate, and made sure every dot ball Dindigul celebrated was followed soon after by a boundary to keep the pressure on. On the back of a dogged 42 from Kousik, Sanjay pulled the game back with a partnership that sucked any last bit of spirit from the Dragons. If one batter can anchor, accelerate, and finish the chase in one shot, you know you’ve lost the plot somewhere.
Leaky Death Overs and Panic Under Pressure
And if you want to talk about wheels coming off—Dindigul’s death bowling creaked along like a dodgy old cart on a cobbled road. They had Trichy on the ropes, yet could not seal the deal. Both Periyaswamy and Varun Chakravarthy went for 9.5 an over, allowing Trichy boundaries when dot balls were gold. There were also a couple of wides, a no-ball, and fielders looking more tepid than assured under pressure.
The bowlers from the Dragons could not stop the chokehold on the match; instead, there were mercy gifts back to Trichy with poor execution and panic. And we’re not just talking about one terrible over—it was death by a thousand cuts.
The game that Dindigul should’ve iced in the first half became a painful reminder of the consequences of not finishing your dinner—their bowlers had no bite at the death, the batting never flexed enough muscle, and Yadav was allowed to saunter away with it. Trichy Grand Cholas may have looked buried at one stage, but they emerged from Dindigul as grave robbers, with two points and a message: never count us out.
Disclaimer: This Exclusive News is based on the author’s understanding, analysis, and instinct. As you review this information, consider the points mentioned and form your own conclusions.
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