Vida Kovai Kings progressed to Qualifier 2 of the TNPL after its Eliminator against iDream Tiruppur Tamizhans was washed out at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium here on Monday.

Kovai Kings and Tamizhans were placed third and fourth on the table, with both teams on eight points. But Kovai Kings had the superior Net Run Rate of 1.638, compared to Tamizhans’ -0.013, and thus advanced to the next stage.

The match had promised intriguing battles, with the Shahrukh Khan-led side boasting the tournament’s two most economical bowlers in left-arm spinner M. Siddharth (nine wickets at 5.46) and leggie Jhathavedh Subramanyan (13 at 6.29).

Tamizhans’ openers Amith Sathvik (striking at 212.74) and left-hander Tushar Raheja (193.08) arrived as the competition’s two fastest-scoring batters.

Kovai Kings’ pace duo of Deeban Lingesh (12) and G. Kishoor (10) had also been among the wickets, providing further edge to the Eliminator.

Asked to bat, Tamizhans made an unusually sedate start, reaching 15 without loss in three overs before a heavy downpour brought play to a halt.

Deeban, bowling with the wicketkeeper standing up to the stumps, and Siddharth kept things tight, denying the openers the kind of start they had become accustomed to this season.

The scores: iDream Tiruppur Tamizhans 15/0 in three overs vs. Vida Kovai Kings. Match called off due to rain.

Wednesday’s match (Qualifier 2): Trichy Grand Cholas vs. Vida Kovai Kings (7.30 p.m.).

The weather gods briefly halted the proceedings in the battle between the Kings at the NPR College Ground on Thursday.

But once the rain relented, S. Rithik Easwaran weathered the Vida Kovai Kings storm with a sensational 69 off 31 balls (4×4, 6×6), helping Nellai Royal Kings overcome a mid-innings wobble and win by two wickets in a Tamil Nadu Premier League thriller.

The Royal Kings’ 163-run chase stuttered at the start as left-arm spinner M. Siddharth struck in the second over, dismissing Santhosh Kumar.

Deeban Lingesh removed the other opener, S.R. Athish, in the third over before G. Ajitesh and U. Mukilesh looked to repair the damage. Ajitesh smashed G. Kishoor for a six but was caught off the very next ball in the eighth over, the pacer holding a sharp return catch to break a 38-run stand.

Mukilesh soon followed him to the dugout while Jhathavedh Subramanyan castled debutant Sachin Sre Dev as the Nellai outfit slipped to 92 for five. Deeban piled more misery, striking twice in the 17th over and leaving Royal Kings in trouble.

Rithik, however, refused to throw in the towel. With 17 needed off the final over, he smacked Kishoor for two huge sixes before Sachin Rathi scampered through for a bye to seal a dramatic victory with a ball to spare.

Earlier, V. Yudheeswaran’s three for 25 and Rathi’s two for 30 kept the Kovai side in check.

In the other match, Shyam Sundar’s unbeaten 104 (57b, 8×4, 7×6) set up Trichy Grand Cholas’ 17-run win over iDream Tiruppur Tamizhans. Opener Tushar Raheja’s 87, his third half-century of the edition, went in vain.

The scores: Vida Kovai Kings 162/9 in 20 overs (B. Sachin 42, Emmanuel Cherian 2/37, Sachin Rathi 2/30, V. Yudheeswaran 3/25) lost to Nellai Royal Kings 163/8 in 19.5 overs (S. Rithik Easwaran 69, Deeban Lingesh 3/41, G. Kishoor 3/32). Trichy Grand Cholas 196/6 in 20 overs (K. Rajkumar 37, Shyam Sundar 104 n.o., T. Natarajan 2/32) bt iDream Tiruppur Tamizhans 179/8 in 20 overs (Tushar Raheja 87, Pradosh Ranjan Paul 44, Athisayaraj Davidson 2/24, K. Easwaran 3/24, Sanjay Yadav 2/28).

Friday’s matches: SKM Salem Spartans vs. Dindigul Dragons, 3.30 p.m.; Madurai Panthers vs. Chepauk Super Gillies, 7.30 p.m.

When Dindigul Dragons strolled out for the Tamil Nadu Premier League season-opener here on Tuesday, there was uncertainty over how the 2024 title-winner would cope with the absence of two masters of the spin-bowling craft.

R. Ashwin is in the dugout as a mentor and not on the field while Varun Chakaravarthy is yet to recover from a hamstring injury. But in an encouraging sign for its adaptive strategy, the Dindigul side watched debutant leggie Nirankar Sharma dish out a Player-of-the-Match performance of three for 21 against iDream Tiruppur Tamizhans.

Nirankar, who moved from Madhya Pradesh to Tamil Nadu to fuel his cricket dream, tightened the screws in the middle overs with his miserly spell.

“I was just so excited. It was an emotional moment for me because I had waited for it (making his maiden appearance at such a level) for years. I could not have asked for a better debut. The Dragons management, Ashwin bhaiya and Inder (B. Indrajith) anna have been supporting me a lot,” said Nirankar, the lone DD spinner in action on Tuesday.

The 26-year-old is enjoying the time of his professional life while learning the tricks of the trade from Ashwin. “I had dreamt of working with him. He has been superb with his mentorship. He is expecting a lot from me. Hopefully, I fulfil his expectations. I cannot ask for anything better with what is going on in my life,” he added.

After making a good first impression, Nirankar should strive for consistency.