Maan Bafna shines as Tiruppur beat Nellai in Tamil Nadu Premier League

CHENNAI: Left-hander Maan Bafna (72 n.o., 6x4, 3x6) led the way for iDream Tiruppur Tamizhans as they beat Nellai Royal Kings by 3 wickets in their TNPL-5 clash at the MA Chidambaram Stadium here on Monday.Tiruppur, in pursuit of 149, were 37 for 2 after the Powerplay overs. Bafna along with opener S Siddharth (42, 3x4, 3x6) got Tiruppur’s chase on track with a 53-run stand for the third wicket. At halfway mark, Tiruppur were 57 for 2 and needed 92 off the last 60. Despite losing Siddharth in the 12th over, Bafna continued to soldier on. The 26-year-old held one end together --- adding 22 and 45 for the fourth and fifth wicket with R Rajkumar (4) and skipper M Mohammed (7) respectively. Despite Tiruppur losing wickets towards the end --- Bafna kept his nerve to take his side past the finish line in the penultimate ball of the contest. B Aparajith shone with the ball for Nelllai --- taking 3 for 9 from 1.5 overs.Earlier, medium-pacers R Rajkumar (3-42) and M Mohammed (3-23) were instrumental in Nellai being bowled out for 148 in 19.5 overs. For the batting side, opener L Suryaprakash (43) and no. 6 Arjun Murthy’s 16-ball 35 helped the side reach a 140-plus total after being inserted in. Suryaprakash played his part and his 40-ball innings contained 3 fours and 2 sixes. He added 45 runs for the third wicket with B Indrajith (26, 1x4, 2x6) that took Nellai past the 100-run mark. Rajkumar got rid of Nellai top-order while Mohammed accounted for the tail. In the 17th over, Nellai were in trouble at 112-6 but 21-year-old Arjun’s 16-ball cameo that contained 7 sparkling fours helped the side finish with a respectable total. Brief scores: Nellai Royal Kings 148 in 19.5 overs (L Suryaprakash 43, Arjun Murthy 35; R Rajkumar 3-42, M Mohammed 3-23). IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans 149-7 in 19.5 overs (Maan Bafna 72 n.o., S Siddharth 42; B Aparajith 3-9); Tiruppur won by 3 wickets