- June 9, 2025
The backdrop was Coimbatore, the air thick with the buzz of TNPL fever, and Dindigul Dragons engaged with an air of confidence, especially after a quick 39-run opening stand between captain Ravichandran Ashwin and Shivam Singh. At 61/1, the Dragons looked primed for take-off. But as the innings drew to a close, it was evident that a twist had occurred; the Dragons went from a potential 180-plus score to all-out for a dismal 93, while IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans strolled things down in just 11.5 overs. What went wrong for Dindigul? Let’s elaborate.
A Classic Batting Implosion with No Safety Net
At 61/1 in the seventh over, you would think the Dragons would sail well past 150. Instead, they collapsed like a deck of cards on a windy rooftop. The middle-order had all the resistance of wet tissue—Baba Indrajith, Hunny Saini, Maan Bafna, and Varun Chakravarthy put together with just 4 runs. The procession from 61/1 to 93 all out was defined by bad shots, no partnerships, and what appeared to be an allergy to strike rotation.
Other than Ashwin’s blistering 18 runs and Shivam Singh’s composed 30, there was no character in the batting lineup. What was worse? Seven batters made less than six runs. Not only was there a collapse, but there was also no one to secure the innings when the cracks showed.
Esakkimuthu’s Explosive Spell—The Turning Point
While Tiruppur did not stake wickets, they came in a rowboat, Esakkimuthu A. The right-arm spinner swept away Dindigul’s middle order, 4 for 26, and that was all they needed. It felt like every wicket was sucking the confidence from Dindigul, especially the big ones in Baba Indrajith and Varun Chakravarthy. Esakkimuthu bowled with flight, bite, and guile; the Dragons provided no meaningful response.
Those 3 crucial wickets from Mathivannan played a decisive role in securing the win. It was not just that one bowler singled out from Dindigul’s innings that made the Dragons look like a bunch of tourists new to the area who had never faced a local spinner. It was nuanced that Esakkimuthu was not just bowling overs for his captain but, barring heavy rain for the Dindigul team, bowling them out of the game.
Overreliance on the Top Order and a Tactical Misfire in the Bowling
Once again, we saw Dindigul’s Achilles heel was painfully exposed, which is to say, their reliance on the top three to do the heavy-lifting scoring-wise. When Ashwin and Shivam went, they folded without any resilience whatsoever after that. But the problems were not just with the bat. The bowling was equally uninspired. Experienced names in Sandeep Warrier and Ashwin were easily taken apart, going for 48 runs between them in just 4 overs.
The worst part? Ashwin, who is usually very frugal, was smashed for 4 sixes in 2 overs! Unable to cope with Tiruppur’s attacking mindset, the Dragons looked tactically disoriented, cycling through bowlers aimlessly with none able to make an impact. Not even Varun Chakravarthy could find a way in. The Dragons had the names, they just didn’t have the ‘wherewithal’.
This was not only a loss in terms of the points drop, this was a statement match from Tiruppur. They dominated Dindigul in almost every facet of the game, proving that Dindigul had no depth to their squad, meaningful tactics, and comfortably won this match by 9 wickets with 49 balls to spare. For the Dindigul Dragons, it is back to the drawing board, and quickly, too! You can’t win the TNPL title with one good PowerPlay and a prayer.
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