COIMBATORE pips Tirupur in a last ball thriller

Coimbatore defeated Tiruppur by two wickets in the fourth round of the SS Rajan Trophy 2025 (Tamil Nadu Inter-District T20 Tournament), organised by the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) at Tea Public School Grounds on Friday, 19 December 2025. 

Coimbatore won the toss and elected to field, making two changes from their previous game, with Vijay Abhimanyu and Abhinav Mohan replacing Radhakrishnan S and Gowtham Thamarai Kannan. Tiruppur got off to a flying start, with openers Madhava Prasad and Manikandan finding the boundary regularly. They raced to 62 without loss at the end of the powerplay. The first breakthrough came in the 10th over when the off-spinner Mithun removed Manikandan courtesy a brilliant catch from Selva Kumaran. SJ Arunkumar then joined Madhava Prasad and the duo stitched together a solid 76-run stand for the second wicket. Coimbatore struck back late in the innings as Saravana Kumar removed both Madhava Prasad and SJ Arunkumar in the 18th and 20th overs respectively. A few late boundaries from Karmegam helped Tiruppur post a competitive total of 183.

Chasing a challenging target, captain Hari Nishaanth provided an explosive start, setting up a strong platform before being dismissed in the third over for 25 off 10 balls. In-form Ajitesh then took control of the chase, stitching together a magnificent 99-run partnership with Vijay Abhimanyu for the second wicket. Both the batters registered half-centuries. Vijay Abhimanyu was dismissed for 51 off 37 balls in the 14th over, followed by Ajitesh, who made a crucial 70 off 50 balls in the 18th over.

The match was evenly poised with Coimbatore at 165 for 4 after 18 overs and needing 19 runs off the final two overs. A wicket and 11 runs in the penultimate over bowled by Bharathi Kanna added to the drama as the equation came down to 9 needed off last six balls. Manikandan got the wicket of Sujay caught at the deep in the first ball. New batter Saravana Kumar smashed a six in the next ball and seemingly sealing the contest. But Manikandan made him hole out in the next ball. Coimbatore needed 3 runs of 3 balls with 3 wickets in hand. Abhinav stole a single of the 4th ball but Ashik couldnt do in the 5th ball and eventually got run out. With 2 runs required off the final ball, Abhinav and Selvakumaran held their nerve to score the winning runs, guiding Coimbatore to a thrilling victory and into the knockouts unbeaten.

Match Summary: 
Tiruppur 183-3 in 20 overs
Madhava Prasad KTA 78(56)
Arun Kumar SJ 50(34)
Saravana Kumar P (2/38) in 4 overs
Mithun R (1/20) in 3 overs

lost to

Coimbatore 184-8 in 20 overs
Ajitesh G 70(50)
Vijay Abimanyu 51(37)
Manikandan P S (3/26) in 4 overs
Arun Kumar SJ (1-23) in 4 overs

With this win Coimbatore top Group H in the group stage with 4 wins out of as many matches and qualifies into the knockouts which will be played from Tuesday 23 December 2025