What a thrilling encounter at the ICL cricket ground in Tirunelveli to kick start the 2018 TNPL! Couldn't have asked more. Hope there are many more thrillers in the tournament. This is Vignesh Ananthasubramanian from Tirunelveli and Srihari from Bangalore signing off. Good bye!
Ashwin with an important breakthrough! Sonu Yadav is stumped by Jagadeesan for a 17-ball 30. 10 runs and a wicket off R Ashwin's last over. Warriors need 26 runs to win off the last two overs. We are in for a thriller here.
Sonu Yadav st N Jagadeesan b R Ashwin 30 (17) Warriors 147/6 after 18 overs
Warriors back the two 11-run overs with 20 runs off the 17th over bowled by Aditya Arun. Suresh Kumar joins the party for Warriors. 50 partnership between the pair.
Yet another 11-run over for the Warriors. Seems like we are in for a thriller here. At least the fans here are hoping for that to happen. Sonu Yadav holds the key for Warriors here.
Finally, a good over for Warriors as Sonu Yadav hits a six and a four in Aditya Arun's third over that conceded 11. Will there be a change in fortune here in Tirunelveli? For that to happen, Warriors will want more of this.
Three wickets in no time for Ruby Trichy Warriors as the game is slowly slipping away from their reach. Mani Bharathi and Suresh Kumar have to do something exceptional to bring them back in the game.
Yet another dropped catch is helping Warriors' cause, this time, M Abhinav drops S Aravind at long-on. Dragons should look to hold on to the catches to make a comeback in this game.
Bharath continues his good form as he smashed Trilok over the mid-wicket for a huge six before he offered a regulation catch to wicket-keeper Jagadeesan, who failed to hold on to the catch and gave the batsman a life. Very crucial reprieve for Bharath.
After conceding 12 runs in his first over, R Ashwin did well to come back in his second over but ended up conceding seven runs, thanks to a boundary from the bat of Bharath.
Abhinav Mohan, the leg-spinner was introduced into the attack, and he's started off really well for the Dragons, conceding just two runs off that over.
OUT! What a comeback from M Mohammed and that means Indrajith has to go. After hitting a six off the previous ball, he goes for another swipe but he misses this time and his stumps are castled. Indrajith 14 (9)
On the pads and Bharath shankar just lofts Ashwin over mid-wicket and kickstarts the Warriors run chase with a massive six. He follows that up with a boundary through the off-side and already the Warriors are off to a great start.
Excellent final over from Sonu Yadav and the Dragons finish on 172/8 from their 20 overs. Vignesh drops another as Mohammed goes for a pull shot but ultimately that only costs them a couple. Despite three forties and at one point, looking set for a total close to 200, Dragons will be disappointed that they finished with just 172. But they got there courtesy of a captain's knock from Ashwin.
NOT OUT! And he strikes first ball or does he? Short ball from Sonu Yadav and M Mohammed tries to pull him over square leg but he was hitting into the wind and all he does is find the fielder K Vignesh at deep square leg. But a misjudgment means that a simple catch isn't taken.
An excellent penultimate over from D Kumaran. Despite giving away a boundary off the second ball of the over, he gives away just six runs in that over and also picked up the crucial wicket of R Ashwin.
OUT! R Ashwin is gone. He goes for another big one but this time, it goes a long way in the air and it is a simple catch for the fielder at long on. Ashwin is the third Dragons batsman to fall agonizingly short of a well-deserved fifty.
Ashwin is just toying with the bowlers here. After a couple of big hits down the ground, he uses his deft touch to guide one to the third man boundary. That was a big over for the Dragons. 16 came off it.
SIX! In the slot again and this time it is Ashwin who stands up and smashes that over mid-wicket. Length ball at the death is just asking for trouble and trouble is just what that ball got as that sails into the stands.
SIX! What a shot from M Mohammed. That was in the slot and he has decided to clobber that over mid-wicket. That was an over both sides wouldn't mind as the Dragons got a couple of boundaries and the Warriors took a wicket.
OUT! NS Chaturved has to go after hitting a boundary off the first ball. He tries to flick it into the leg side but he only ends up giving a simple catch to the fielder at square leg. Soft dismissal as far as the Dragons are concerned.
Four overs to go, Ashwin is starting to get a move on. Can he guide the Dragons to a total in excess of 170? Or will the Warriors pick up some crucial wickets?
Ashwin is keeping the Dragons' flag flying. Back-to-back boundaries to finish the over that went for 12. Much-needed boost for the Dragons as they look to finish with a flourish.
Quicker one from MG Sanjay and both the bowler and the keeper think they got Vivek there but the umpire is unmoved. Not for the lbw or the caught behind. But he didn't have to worry as he gets him the following ball. Going for the big shot, all Vivek gets is a top edge to short third man and Sanjay has his man. Vivek 1 (3)
OUT! What a catch by Lakshmi Narayanan. Excellent slower ball and the batsman just tries to guide it down the ground but the bowler dives to his left and holds onto a brilliant catch. Anirudh 8 (11)
