Well begun is half done, goes the saying.
Madurai Panthers did just that, establishing itself as the side to watch out for by winning its first four games. Though there was a minor stumble in between, Panthers closed out the league stage strongly with a 72-run thrashing of Nellai Royal Kings to finish on top of the table.
That proved vital as it helped Panthers reach the final after their Qualifier-1 game against second-placed Trichy Grand Cholas was washed out.
Now the Panthers will look to fulfil that early-season promise when they take on Vida Kovai Kings in the summit clash of TNPL-10 here at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Friday.
B. Anirudh Sita Ram’s men have shown great tenacity to conjure victories from tough situations. The former champion’s campaign this year has been a case of being greater than the sum of its parts.
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Its top-two run scorers are eighth and 10th on the charts, while none of its bowlers is among the top-10 wicket-takers. Unlike the Panthers in the wild, this Madurai outfit has worked effectively as a collective.
“We knew that to win a tournament, you need the team to perform as a team, not as individuals. Going back [in the past few years], we had many individual talents,” Anirudh said.
“But as a team, we couldn’t cross that line. This year we looked to fix those issues and bring in talent who can step up right away. In every game, we could see a new performer come up and get us through.”
Like the Panthers, Kovai Kings also benefited from a washout to advance out of the Eliminator clash against IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans based on league standings.
The team’s strength has been its potent bowling line-up led by pacers Deepan Lingesh and G. Kishoor, while M. Siddharth and Jhathavedh Subramanyan form a formidable spin combo. On the batting front, the team has been over-reliant on B. Sachin. Fortunately, the likes of opener S. Lokeshwar and Shahrukh have found form in recent outings.
“We have been doing the same thing from the start. Sometimes it comes off, sometimes it doesn’t. But the most important thing is to follow through on what we have planned and do it as consistently as possible,” Kovai Kings skipper M. Shahrukh Khan said.
“Soon you are bound to get results. We have been keeping at it, and fortunately, we have been peaking at the right time.”
The stage is now set for an intriguing finale which could come down to the Panthers’ batting depth against the Kings’ varied bowling attack.
Published on Aug 27, 2026
