Abzal, Yeshwanth Star as Kallakurichi Beat Pudukkottai by 114 Runs in TNCA U-23
Abzal struck a decisive century and left-arm spinner Yeshwanth claimed a five-wicket haul to propel Kallakurichi to a 114-run victory over Pudukkottai in their TNCA Inter District Under-23 Tournament Group A clash at Madurai for the 2026-27 season.
Batting first, Kallakurichi set a commanding total of 344 for eight in their allotted 50 overs. Abzal anchored the innings with 112 runs, receiving strong support from Samraj, who compiled 71. P Hariharan added 41, AP Srimaharaj scored 40, and N Devan contributed 34, while Pudukkottai bowler S Arunachalam took three wickets for 43 runs.
In response, Pudukkottai were bowled out for 230 in 42.4 overs as Yeshwanth ran through the lineup to finish with figures of 5 for 49. Abishek Yadav led Pudukkottai's resistance with 89 runs, supported by half-centurion G Keerthivasan with 50 and R Poosalar with 34, but their efforts were insufficient to bridge the gap.
In the second Group A match at Madurai, Madurai secured a six-wicket win over Vellore. Vellore folded for 123 in 35.2 overs against J Rohan's bowling haul of 4 for 36, after which Madurai reached 127 for four in 24.2 overs powered by an unbeaten 63 from S Siva Devan.
Group C matches held at Karur saw Tirunelveli edge past Karur by four wickets. Karur posted 252 for seven in 50 overs with Varun Gandhi hitting 58, but Tirunelveli chased it down to finish on 253 for six in 41.1 overs behind M Manoj Rajan's 64, Gosic Vijay's 63, and an unbeaten 51 from Vellapandi, who had also taken 4 for 47 with the ball. In the same group, Namakkal defeated Virudhunagar by 162 runs after M Nizar Ali scored 106 off 110 balls to lift Namakkal to 276 for eight before Virudhunagar were dismissed for 114.
In Group E matches played at Dharmapuri, Tiruvannamalai registered a 175-run win over Dharmapuri after posting 308 for five, powered by J Jai Simha's unbeaten 109 off 89 deliveries and A Pugazh's 77. In the other fixture, Kancheepuram chased down Villupuram's 264 to win by four wickets, with M Sanjeevan scoring 104 off 98 balls after S Soumo Deep Aravind Manna had struck 121 off 103 balls for Villupuram.
At Salem in Group G, Coimbatore beat Sivagangai by six wickets, and Salem defeated Mayiladuthurai by 105 runs after posting 320 for seven. In Group H at Tirupur, Tirupur bowled out Krishnagiri for 66 to seal a 120-run win, while Nagapattinam defeated Ramanathapuram by four wickets.
