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Lyca Kovai Kings vs Trichy Grand Cholas Qualifier 2 Full Commentary
Result · Aug 26 2026, Wed - 07:30 PM (IST)
TGC 99/10 (15.4)
LKK 183/5 (20.0)
Lyca Kovai Kings beat Trichy Grand Cholas by 84 runs
CRR:6.32
ప్లేయర్ ఆఫ్ ద మ్యాచ్
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Welcome back for the chase. The Kovai Kings spread across the park to take their spots on the field. Ramesh Divakar comes in as their impact substitute, as Radhakrishnan has been subbed out. Rajkumar K and Suresh Kumar are the two Trichy openers. K Deeban Lingesh has the new ball and is raring to go. Here we go again...
... THE RUN CHASE ...
The road to the final - Righto, 184 is the magic number the Grand Cholas need to chase down for a spot in the summit clash. But it all starts with laying a strong platform through the Powerplay. For Kovai Kings, early wickets are non-negotiable, and with the dew factor kicking in, containing the flow of runs will be no easy job either. Back in a bit with the run chase. Stay tuned.
A promising start nosedives - The Grand Cholas could easily have claimed a couple of big wickets inside the Powerplay, but they failed to convert the chances that came their way. Both openers, Lokeshwar and Radhakrishnan, were dropped and capitalized on those reprieves with a 104-run opening stand. However, with 103/0 at halfway, they lost steam in the second half and could add only 80 runs. The chief architect of that chokejob was R Rajkumar, who returned with exceptional figures of 3/29 from his four overs, while Athisayaraj Davidson and K Easwaran nailed their yorkers to perfection in the death overs, sucking the wind clean out of the Kovai Kings' innings. Shahrukh Khan did inject a few quick runs through his 34 off 18 balls, but the Kings will know they are, say, 15-20 runs short on a very good batting pitch.
9.07 pm IST - At the pitch report, Ajay Mehra had reckoned 190-195 as a fair par score, and Kovai Kings now find themselves right in touching distance of that mark. Yet given where they stood at the halfway stage, there will be a nagging sense of what could have been. 200-plus looked well within reach at one point in this innings. Excellent comeback from the Grand Cholas towards the backend. Given the batting depth of Kovai Kings, they conceded just 43/2 in the last 5 overs.
Big swing, for nothing! Clever deception from Easwaran to wrap it up. Slow and full, angled across from around the stump. Madhava Prasad swings for the hills, only to get beaten on the outside edge. LYCA KOVAI KINGS FINISH ON 183/5.
Last ball left. Madhava Prasad is in at number 7.
OUT! CAUGHT! And that's the 50th TNPL wicket for K Easwaran. A back-of-the-hand slower delivery on the off stump, at just 104.3 kph. Shahrukh clears his front leg looking to swing across the line, but the drop in pace catches him out completely, and he skies it high into the night sky. R Rajkumar, camped under it at long on, judges the trajectory well and completes it the catch safely. An important cameo comes to an end from Shahrukh. Lyca Kovai Kings are 183/5 after 19.5 overs.
SIX! Muscled over the fence! Back of a length, slower ball, Shahrukh Khan stands tall, allows the ball to come and hammers it over the leaping long on fielder for a six. He moves to 34 (17).
A slower one, on the fuller length, outside off, drilled straight to covers.
FOUR! Hammered downtown! The captain to the rescue. Full and on the middle stump. Shahrukh clears the front leg and pumps it mercilessly over the bowler's head for a cracking boundary.
FOUR! Like water in the desert for Kovai Kings! At pace from Easwaran, full in line of the leg stump. Shahrukh Khan brings his bottom hand to play and powerfully whips it to the deep square leg gap for a boundary.
Just 3 runs from the penultimate over have sucked all the wind out of Kovai's sails. K Easwaran (3-0-28-0) to wrap it up with the final over of the innings.
Goes for the yorker once more and nails it on the spot. Ambrish scuffs it down to mid on.
Executes another yorker on middle and leg, Shahrukh Khan drills it down to long on for a single.
Top-drawer death bowling! Dishes out another yorker, on off, Shahrukh Khan gets the front leg out of his way and tries to heave it over mid-wicket, but has no space to get under the ball and can only mistime it to square leg.
Another attempted yorker, on off, R.S. Ambrish carves it down to long off for a single. Just a couple of runs from the first three balls.
Sizzling delivery from Davidson. Hammers in a pinpoint yorker, on the stumps. R.S. Ambrish can't do much about that one. He does jam his bat down in time and shovel it out on the pitch.
A slingy delivery, full toss on the pads. Shahrukh Khan tries to whip it over square leg but gets a thick bottom edge and it squirts towards long on for a single. He looks to steal the second but is sent back by his partner.
Fine, fine recovery by Easwaran. After going for 10 runs off his first two balls, he concedes just 3 in the next four balls. Athisayaraj Davidson (1/20 in 3 overs) will bowl the penultimate over.
1 run, that is just a mere push for a run.
1 run, that is pulled away through the mid wicket region for a single.
No run, that is punched off the back foot but straight to the fielder.
1 run, the batter goes back in the crease and flicks it away through mid wicket for a single.
FOUR! Helped away! Bowls another pace-off ball, but misfires the line. It is full on the pads and Shahrukh just tickles it on its way past the right of short fine leg for a boundary. 10 runs off the first 2 balls and he will look to make it a massive one with the bowler under pressure. Let's see how K Easwaran responds.
SIX! Shahrukh gets going. A pace-off delivery, served in the slot outside off, 103.2 kph, Shahrukh reads the length and variation like a book, gets under it and dumps it behind long off for a biggie
13/1 in the last 2 overs for the Kovai Kings. They need their captain now to bat till the end to get anywhere close to 200. K Easwaran (2-0-15-0) to continue.
Exceptional bowling from Davidson. Nearly a yorker, on middle and leg, Shahrukh Khan is a bit cramped for room and cannot open his arms. Can only scuff it down to wide long on for a single.
1 run, that is pushed away for a single.
1 run, that is just a mere push for a run.
Kings meet Panthers - With this comprehensive and one-sided win in Qualifier 2, LYCA KOVAI KINGS QUALIFY FOR THE GRAND FINALE. Without a doubt, they have been one of the most consistent teams of the tournament in recent years and are on the back of four back-to-back wins now. For the Grand Cholas, it honestly looked like they were never really in the contest tonight, completely consumed by the weight of the occasion. They will have to reflect upon a lot for the next season as their wait to win their maiden title elongates for another time being. So then, folks, we now have our two confirmed finalists for TNPL 2026. Lyca Kovai Kings will take on Madurai Panthers in the summit clash, set for Friday, 28th August, with the first ball scheduled for 7.30 pm IST. As always, do join us well in advance for all the buildup and pre-match analysis. Here's hoping the title clash lives up to the occasion and is a well-fought one. Cheers!
PLAYER OF THE MATCH - K DEEBAN LINGESH deservedly receives the award for his exceptional bowling figures of 4-1-14-3, including a hat trick. He also became the player to take the eighth hat trick in TNPL history.
... The Presentation ...
Big gulf - Another stark difference between the two sides came in the field. Where the Grand Cholas spilled as many as three catches, gifting lifelines to both Kovai openers, Suresh Lokeshwar and Radhakrishnan made them count, each going on to record their highest individual scores of the year, with Lokeshwar in particular converting his into a well-paced half-century. Those costly drops, coupled with Shahrukh Khan's quickfire 38, saw the Kovai Kings go past 180, which, in the end, proved more than enough. Kovai Kings, on the other hand, held on to every single chance that came their way, none more impressively than keeper Suresh Lokeshwar, whose sharp reflexes accounted for three brilliant catches behind the stumps. As they say, catches win matches. Hence proved right once again.
Hunted in a pack - At the mid innings break, 184 had looked a touch short for Kovai Kings, but the moment their bowlers came out breathing fire, that modest target suddenly looked like Everest for Trichy to scale. K Deeban Lingesh and Manimaran Siddharth were the chief architects of that destruction, combining to drag the game clean out of Trichy's reach. Their joint figures of 7/25 from eight overs were not just a bowling masterclass, but they snuffed out even the faintest flicker of hope the chase might have clung to.
Burnt to ashes - Sadly for Trichy Grand Cholas, nothing, absolutely nothing, went right in this chase. Before they could even realise what had happened, or what actually hit them, they were 0/3 in the first three balls of the innings. K Deeban Lingesh literally swallowed up their top three with a hat trick. Just when it seemed things could not get worse, Manimaran Siddharth arrived to spring the trap further, himself flirting with a hat trick of his own as the Grand Cholas slumped to a shell-shocked 6/5. There was a brief glimmer of hope amid the storm when captain Suresh Kumar and R Rajkumar came together for a blistering 55-run stand, but the moment R.S. Ambrish accounted for the Trichy skipper, the wheels came rolling off once again and for good.
10.40 pm IST - Deja vu - Not long back, just a couple of weeks ago in Dindigul, Lyca Kovai Kings handed Trichy Grand Cholas a stinging defeat that marked the beginning of their resurrection after three back-to-back losses had threatened to derail their entire campaign. They won that one by 116 runs, defending 201. Come this evening, and it is deja vu all over again, Kovai Kings once more carrying out a demolition job against the very same opponents, only this time with everything on the line in a straight knockout. Interestingly, on both occasions, they have not even allowed the Grand Cholas to breach triple digits. Talk about total dominance.
OUT! DONE AND DUSTED! There goes the final wicket, and Lyca Kovai Kings qualify for the Grand Finale of TNPL 2026. Divakar comes around and lands this one on a good length outside off. Davidson goes for a big swing across the line, only to get a top edge that balloons skyward. Andre Siddarth, camped at deep mid-wicket, tracks it patiently and pouches the catch without any trouble. LYCA KOVAI KINGS WIN BY 84 RUNS!
Athisayaraj Davidson is the last man in for the Grand Cholas as their dream has been torn apart.
OUT! TAKEN IN THE DEEP! Another one bites the dust and Divakar, too, gets into the wickets. Short of a length and angling into the pads, N Selva Kumaran rocks back and heaves across the line into the leg side. He fails to find the middle of the bat though, and airs it off the top edge. Kishoor comes charging in from deep backward square leg, a few brisk strides before throwing himself forward to complete a smart diving catch to his left. The score for the Grand Cholas reads 99/9.
Good length and around the pads, Kumaran misses his flick attempt entirely. The ball catches his back leg and squirts away square on the off side for a leg bye. An unnecessary throw from the keeper down the ground allows the batters to sneak through for a second.
No run, the batter has just blocked that from the crease.
Righto, last 5 overs to go. Trichy Grand Cholas need 87 runs from those. Not only impossible, but unrealistic. Lyca Kovai Kings need just two wickets and would like to wrap it up as quickly as possible. Ramesh Divakar (1-0-14-0) returns into the attack.
A bit sloppy in the field there! A well-disguised slower ball around the stumps, nudged away with soft hands into the mid-wicket region. Kishoor is slow off the mark chasing it across, and the batters spot the opportunity, scampering through for a quick two.
No run, this is driven through square on the off side, but the field is not pierced.
Sees the batter charge towards him, Kishoor bends his back and spears another short ball, on top of the stumps. Saravana Kumar tries to dump it out of Chennai through the pull shot, only to miss.
WIDE! Carbon copy of the previous ball.
WIDE! Digs in a bumper, but it is well over the head height as Kumar ducks.
1 run, this time the batter goes back and punches it from the crease for a run.
1 run, that is punched off the back foot for a single.
Zips and skids through the deck, on a length on middle. N Selva Kumaran has no clue how to deal with that in-angler and just brings his bat in the way. The ball gets squeezed off the inside edge and the thigh pad before running to deep third for a single. Even if it had struck the pad first, Ball Tracking suggests it may well have gone over the top of off stump.
1 run, that is just a mere push for a run.
No run, that is defended solidly off the front foot.
1 run, that is punched off the back foot for a single.
IN THE AIR AND LANDS SAFELY! Between the two fielders. Spears it full and outside off, N Selva Kumaran tries to hoist it over long off, but gets a big top edge that bobbles high in the air. Now, Andre Siddarth from deep backward point and Madhava Prasad from extra cover, converge from opposite directions. But both leave it for each other and with no proper communication. The ball drops right in between them. One run taken.
Fuller in length, outside off, Saravana Kumar mistimes the heave off the inner half of his bat. The ball goes on the bounce to Shahrukh Khan's right at long on. One run taken.
1 run, the batter goes deep in the crease and guides it through third man for a single.
After rocking the Grand Cholas in the first over with a hat trick, K Deeban Lingesh is back on and will bowl out. 3-1-9-3 so far are his bowling figures.
No run, sharp bouncer! The batter ducks.
No run, the batter has just watchfully blocked this out.