TNPL 3: Arun Karthick shines in Madurai's victory

CHENNAI: Madurai Panthers registered their second win in the TNPL 3 as they beat Tuti Patriots by 7 wickets at the NPR College ground in Dindigul on Sunday. Arun Karthick (59, 3x4, 4x6), allrounder J Kousik (1-26 with the ball followed by an unbeaten 38) and Abhishek Tanwar (3 for 28) were the architects of Madurai's win.
In pursuit of 166, Madurai started off on a strong note as their opening pair - comprising skipper D Rohit (28, 2x4, 1x6) and Arun - scored 55 in the first six overs of the chase.Patriots hit back when they had Rohit caught at long-off fence by Akshay off Ganesh Moorthi (1-22) in the 9th over, but not before the batsman had added 71 with Arun to set the tone for the chase.
Arun, the leading run-scorer for the side, paced his innings well. He was cautious to start with but once he gauged the wicket, Arun began to open up. He played shots on all sides of the park and by the time he was dismissed - caught by Subramanian Anand by off Athisayaraj Davidson (2-30) - Madurai were just 55 away from victory. From thereon, Kousik's 22-ball knock ensured Madurai cross the line with 8 balls to spare.
In the first half of the contest, Patriots received handy contributions from S Dinesh (35, 5x4, 1x6), S Anand (44, 1x4, 3x6) and Akshay Srinivasan (42, 3x4, 1x6) to post a total of 165 for 5 on board. Kaushik Gandhi (11, 1x6) missed out as he was caught at deep square-leg region by Rahil Shah in the very second over of the innings, off Abhishek Tanwar. From thereon, No. 3 Anand took centre-stage. He first added 44 for the second wicket with Dinesh before piecing together a 69-run stand for the third alongside Akshay. When Anand was dismissed - caught at deep mid-wicket by Kousik off Abhishek - Patriots were 133 for 3 in the 17th over. Rajagopal Sathish's 10-ball 24 in the end overs ensured Patriots finished with a total in excess of 160.
Abhishek was the standout performer with the ball for Madurai as he accounted for Kaushik, Anand and Akash Sumra (1). Medium-pacer Kousik (1-26) and offie C Varun (1-23) too found their names on the wicket-takers' list.
Brief scores: Tuti Patriots 165 for 5 in 20 overs (S Anand 44, Akshay Srinivasan 42, S Dinesh; Abhishek 3-28). Madurai Panthers 166 for 3 in 18.4 overs (Arun Karthick 59, J Kousik 38 n.o.; Davidson 2-30). Madurai won by 7 wickets