TNPL 2023: IPL 2023 Star Sai Sudharsan Starts New Season With Blazing Fifty, WATCH

Lyca Kovai Kings batter Sai Sudharsan smashed 86 off 45 balls in the opening match of the Tamil Nadu Premier League 2023 season.

Lyca Kovai Kings batter Sai Sudharsan. (Source: Twitter)

Young Tamil Nadu batter Sai Sudharsan was one of the stars for Hardik Pandya’s Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season. Sudharsan notched up 362 runs in just 8 matches in IPL 2023 season with three fifties and a strike-rate of 141.4. But it was his innings of 96 against MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL 2023 final which was his most memorable knock in the T20 league.

Sudharsan’s 96 remains the highest score by a GT batter in an IPL final but couldn’t lift his side to a win. However, the 21-year-old continued his rich vein of form in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) 2023 which got underway in Coimbatore on Monday.

Batting at the No. 3 position for the Lyca Kovai Kings, Sudharsan blasted four sixes and eight fours on Day 1 of the TNPL 2023 – scoring 86 off 45 balls to power his side to 179 for 7 after they batted first against iDream Tiruppur Tamizhans.

WATCH Sai Sudharsan complete the first fifty of the TNPL 2023 season here…

Wasn't that a crafty way to bring up the 50*?#TNPLonFanCode pic.twitter.com/f7nb1Duwjb

— FanCode (@FanCode) June 12, 2023

Reduced to 14 for 3 by the third over, Sudharsan took charge, first with U. Mukilesh (33), with the duo adding 82 runs for the fourth wicket. He also put on 43 runs for the sixth wicket with skipper and Punjab Kings batter M. Shahrukh Khan, who smashed 25 off 15.

In reply, the Tamizhans were bundled out for 109 with Shahrukh Khan claiming 3/20 and M. Mohammed picking up 2/11. “It was lovely to contribute to the team. I’m very happy to contribute to the team. We wanted to take the game deep was the plan in that partnership with Mukilesh,” Sudharsan, who was the Player of the Match, said after the game.

“Running between the wickets is a very important aspect and I’m working on that. It was the last over and I wanted to maximise that and luckily it worked out,” he added.

Kovai Kings skipper Shahrukh Khan reiterated that he and Sai Sudharsan will have the responsibility for scoring the majority of runs for their side in TNPL 2023. “The process that we followed and we had the same players as last year. Sai and I'm there to get the runs and the others have to chip in. The way Mukilesh played - hats off to him, it was sticky and the way Sai and Mukilesh played was wonderful,” Shahrukh Khan said.

“They had two left-arm spinners and we needed a left-hander to take them on – that’s why the impact player was sent. The more you spin the ball, the more purchase you get – that’s what I did last year too and I have been following the same. I’m bowling well and I have to bowl more. Let’s challenge Vivek Raj to hit to the bigger side was the plan and some days it works out, some days it doesn’t. Today it did,” he added.