Siechem Madurai Panthers (SMP) suffered heartbreak in the eliminator of the last season of the Tamil Nadu Premier League. They aim to go one step further this season and have started well by defeating the Spartans by four wickets in their opening game.

Bowling first, Madurai Panthers conceded 180 runs against the Spartans. Murugan Ashwin led the attack with 3 wickets for 20 runs in 4 overs. He was well supported by Ramadoss Alexandar, who took 2 for 21 in 3 overs. In the chase, after losing captain Hari Nishanth for 8 in the third over, wicketkeeper Suresh Lokeshwar and Jagatheesan Kousik built a partnership of over 100 runs in under 9 overs.

Eventually, a quick cameo from Murugan Ashwin, scoring 20 runs off 5 balls with 6 sixes, helped the Panthers defeat the Spartans by four wickets. The game was closer than the Panthers would have liked, but it was a win nonetheless. Siechem Madurai Panthers will look to build on this victory in their game against the Trichy Grand Cholas.

Trichy Grand Cholas (TRI) are struggling to win a game in the Tamil Nadu Premier League. Their last five games have ended in defeats, including the game against the Panthers in the 2023 season, which the Panthers won comfortably by 7 wickets with 18 balls remaining.

In their first game of the tournament, the Cholas faced the Dindigul Dragons. Thanks to a tremendous bowling effort from K Easwaran, the Cholas restricted the Dragons to 160 runs. K Easwaran ended with figures of 6 wickets for 32 runs in 4 overs.

In a seemingly manageable chase, the Cholas started poorly and were soon reduced to 47 for 4 in the 8th over. S Shyam Sundar (23 runs), Sanjay Yadav (24 runs), and R Rajkumar (31 runs) tried to accelerate and get close to the target, but the Cholas were eventually restricted to 144 for 8 in 20 overs, losing the game by 16 runs. The Cholas hope for a better batting performance against the Panthers and to break their losing streak in the Tamil Nadu Premier League.