Bhuvaneswaran came back strongly after going for 21 off the first five balls of the match.
| Photo Credit: G. KARTHIKEYAN
There is a thin line between aggression and recklessness in T20 cricket. iDream Tiruppur Tamizhans paid the price for falling into the second category as Dindigul Dragons duly punished the reigning champion in the Tamil Nadu Premier League Season 10 opener on Tuesday.
Dragons displayed no signs of starting trouble at the NPR College Ground here, bundling out Tamizhans for 107 before chasing down the target with seven wickets and nine deliveries left.
After B. Indrajith invited the opposition to bat, each of the top-four Tiruppur willow-wielders — Amith Sathvik, Tushar Raheja, captain R. Sai Kishore and Pradosh Ranjan Paul — were dismissed within the PowerPlay while choosing the aerial route.
In their attempt to operate at breakneck speed, the batters rushed to repeatedly clear the boundary when there was no need to push the envelope.
Pacer P. Bhuvaneswaran (three for 32) provided the perfect response after being blasted for 21 runs off the first five balls of the match, 20 of which came from Amith’s blade.
The opener went for one shot too many against Bhuvaneswaran to find the deep fine-leg fielder, Pradosh miscued to first slip and Sai Kishore gave catching practice to Nirankar Sharma stationed at cover.
Nirankar returned figures of three for 21 in his maiden appearance in the tournament.
| Photo Credit:
G. KARTHIKEYAN
Debutants Nirankar (leg-spinner, three for 21) and Sakthi Karuppasamy (pacer, two for 18) also showed their wares during the dominant display by Dragons.
Facing no scoreboard pressure, Dragons got home with a measured approach that was embodied by opener Anuraag Nair (34) and No. 4 R. Vimal Khumar (33 not out).
The scores: iDream Tiruppur Tamizhans 107 in 15.4 overs (P. Bhuvaneswaran 3/32, Nirankar Sharma 3/21, Sakthi Karuppasamy 2/18) lost to Dindigul Dragons 111/3 in 18.3 overs (Anuraag Nair 34, R. Vimal Khumar 33 n.o.).
Wednesday’s matches: Trichy Grand Cholas vs. Madurai Panthers, 3.30 p.m.
Chepauk Super Gillies vs. Nellai Royal Kings, 7.30 p.m.
Published – August 04, 2026 11:07 pm IST
