TNPL 2025: Raheja powers Tiruppur to 177/8 against Salem
Raheja struck the fastest fifty of the season (16 balls) and the second-fastest of the tournament as he and VP Amit Sathvik (25) put on 73 for the opening wicket in just 42 balls, including the season’s highest Powerplay total of 69, after being put in to bat.
Tushar Raheja
SALEM: Left-handed opener Tushar Raheja blasted his third successive fifty in as many matches to lead Tiruppur Tamizhans to a commanding 177/8 against SKM Salem Spartans in the 9th Tamil Nadu Premier League match at the Salem Cricket Foundation ground here on Friday.
Raheja struck the fastest fifty of the season (16 balls) and the second-fastest of the tournament as he and VP Amit Sathvik (25) put on 73 for the opening wicket in just 42 balls, including the season’s highest Powerplay total of 69, after being put in to bat.
Raheja hammered eight fours and five sixes in his 28-ball 74 for his seventh TNPL fifty as he guided his side to 117 in 11.3 overs before falling to off-spinner Hari Nishaanth in the bowler’s first over, caught at long-on by Nidhish Rajagopal.
The pugnacious southpaw had reached his fifty with a boundary off pacer Harish Kumar, which was actually a reprieve as he was dropped at the long-off boundary.
Southpaws U Sasidev (18) and Pradosh Ranjan Paul (25) added 36 off 30 balls for the fifth wicket before pacer M Poiyamozhi dismissed both batters in the 18th over to put the brakes on Tiruppur. Poiyamozhi finished with 3-29.
Both teams and match officials wore black armbands and observed a minute’s silence at the start of the match as a homage to the victims of Thursday’s Air India plane crash.
Brief scores: Tiruppur Tamizhans 177/8 in 20 overs (Tushar Raheja 74, VP Amit Sathvik 25, Pradosh Ranjan Paul 25, M Poiyamozhi 3-29) v SKM Salem Spartans
