09/01/2025
CHAMPIONS πππ
A massive thank you to the TNPL NZ team for an incredible tournament ππ Your hard work and dedication made this journey unforgettable! Looking forward to the next oneβbigger, better, and even more exciting! πͺπ₯
OOTY BECOME THALAIVAS OF TNPL SEASON-5
Ooty Thalaivas played the perfect finale to clinch their maiden title. They were led from the front by their captain, Karthik Rathnakumar, who also eventually was the man of the match. He anchored the innings with a brilliant thirty as Jude went about his usual business, depositing the ball across all parts of the ground. A quick fire fifty from Jude and partnership with Karthik got the thalaivas to to ninty five of nine overs. Ankit, Roopesh, and Arun Prabhu carried the momentum forward as they kept the Thalaivas on track to a dominant total. Sashank provided the finishing touches with 20 of 10 as he the thalaivas posted 181. Manikanth was the pick of the bowlers with a two-for while going at just five rpo. Other bowlers contributed with three wickets, and some excellent fielding meant three run outs were initiated. In reply, Pondy started off fantastically well, getting to 20 of an over and a half with Prashanth going all out for it. But Hari, Manikanrh, and Balasubramaniam went quickly, and Pondy were 28 for four from twenty-seven for one.
Off the five scalps, Adharsh and Akshay had two a piece, and the captain got the number three batter. Mahesh Shanmugam was the lone warrior for Pondy and struck three mighty maximums to keep them in the hunt, but the veteran was left with too much to do, and he holed out after giving a scare to the Thalaivas. Ankit was the chief initiator in dismissals of Chaitanya and Mahesh, as the spinner ended up with three. Adharsh and Akshay ended up with two a piece and the captain brought himself back on to wrap the tail and finish with four with the ball. A captain's performance in all departments and Ooty couldn't have asked for a better fairytale than this to finish their campaign as CHAMPIONS OF NZ-TNPL SEASON-5, 2024-25.
They were the best team in the playoffs and undoubtedly in the FINALE.