Nellai Royal Kings vs Chepauk Super Gillies Match 14 Match Commentary: Tamil Nadu Premier League, 2023

6.48pm  Right then, that's all from this game. It is Nellai who have registered their fourth victory of the 2023 Tamil Nadu T20 League and now sit at the top of the points table. As far as Chepauk are concerned, they have suffered three losses on the trot and now have all to do in the upcoming games. We have one more game coming up that sees Salem take on Madurai. The first ball will be bowled at 7.15 pm IST (1.45 pm GMT). You can switch tabs and join us for the build-up. See you there!

6.46pm  Nellai's skipper Arun Karthik is the Player of the Match for his match-winning knock of 104 runs from 61 balls.

6.45pm  Earlier in the game, after Chepauk skipper Narayan Jagadeesan won the toss and opted to put runs on the board, they were rocked early, losing Pradosh Ranjan Paul in the second over. Narayan Jagadeesan and Baba Aparajith got Cheapuk off to a sedate start before the former was dismissed just after the Powerplay. Baba Aparajith kept running out of partners but played a well-compiled knock and carried his side's hopes of a competitive total. However, his departure in the 19th over meant Chepauk were unable to maximize in the last two overs. M Poiyamozhi was the pick of the bowlers for Nellai with figures of 3 for 25 from his four overs.

6.44pm  On a venue with sizable boundaries, Chepauk would have fancied themselves to defend this total at the halfway mark. However, they were unable to start well with the ball and ended up conceding 56 runs in the first six overs. Moreover, even after the field restrictions were lifted, the Chepauk bowlers were unable to keep the runs in check. To be honest, they were simply blown away by the onslaught from Arun Karthik. For them to have any chance of clawing their way back into the game, they needed to see the back of Arun Karthik which they were unable to. Rahil Shah was Chepauk's most economical bowler but could not account for any wickets which did not help their cause.

6.35pm  Take a bow, Arun Karthik! This has been a captain's knock and he has taken Nellai over the line with 7 balls to spare! In their pursuit of 160, Nellai were off to a swift start courtesy of the two openers. Skipper Arun Karthik was the aggressor among the batters and found an able alley in Sri Neranjan R. Karthik kept founding boundaries at will and unleashed himself all around the park. Nellai did lose a couple of wickets but Karthik anchored the chase exceptionally well. He notched up the third hundred of his Tamil Nadu T20 League career and with this win, Nellai have now gone top of the standings.

OUT! That is a spectacular diving catch.
Rithik Easwaran c R Shah b B Rocky 26 (22b 1x4 1x6)

OUT! That is a simple catch to the fielder.
Sri Neranjan R c SH Kumar b M Silambarasan 24 (27b 2x4 1x6)

OUT! That is a simple catch to the fielder.
Ramalingam Rohit c SL Jain b M Poiyamozhi 2 (3b 0x4 0x6)

OUT! That is a simple catch to the fielder.
Baba Aparajith c N Harish b M Poiyamozhi 79 (51b 4x4 5x6)

OUT.
S Harish Kumar c A G b M Poiyamozhi 20 (17b 1x4 1x6)

OUT! That is a simple catch to the fielder.
TD Lokesh Raj c M Poiyamozhi b SL Jain 1 (2b 0x4 0x6)

OUT! The keeper has taken the bails off in a flash. The batter is stumped by a long way.
Sanjay Yadav st A G b SL Jain 15 (10b 1x4 1x6)

OUT! That is a simple catch to the fielder.
Narayan Jagadeesan (c) c S Yadav b SM Prasath 15 (14b 2x4 0x6)

OUT! Cleaned up! The batter had no answer to that one.
Pradosh Ranjan Paul b S Warrier 2 (8b 0x4 0x6)

2.40pm  Impact Players nominated by Chepauk - B Iyappan, Bhasker Rocky, S Santosh Shiv and R Sibi.

2.40pm  Chepauk (Playing XI) - Baba Aparajith (C), S Harish Kumar, Narayan Jagadeesan (WK), TD Lokesh Raj, Mathan Kumar, Pradosh Ranjan Paul, Rahil Shah, Ramalingam Rohit, Sanjay Yadav, Uthirasamy Sasidev, M Silambarasan.

2.39pm  Impact Players nominated by Nellai - Sri Neranjan R, R Mithun, Arunkumar S.J. and Veeramani T.

2.39pm  Nellai (Playing XI) - Arun Karthik (C), Laxmesha Suryaprakash, Ajitesh G (WK), P Sugendhiran, Sonu Yadav, Rithik Easwaran, NS Harish, M Poiyamozhi, S Lakshay Jain, S Mohan Prasath, Sandeep Warrier.

2.38pm  TOSS - Chepauk have won the coin toss and they have opted to BAT first.

2.25pm  On the flip side, Chepauk are coming off back-to-back losses and will look to return to winning ways. In their last outing against Dindigul, a solid bowling effort allowed them to keep the opposition to a manageable total. In their pursuit of 171 runs, Baba Aparajith was the standout batter, but no support from the rest of the batting unit meant Cheapuk fell short by 1 run. With the bat, the likes of Baba Aparajith and Pradosh Ranjan Paul will hold the key. In the bowling department, Rahil Shah has stood out and will need to be on top of his game. Will Chepauk manage to break their losing streak? Or will it be Nellai to register their second straight win? Let's find out. Toss and team news coming up shortly...