S. Dipak Ragav

As Andrea Kimi Antonelli enters his home race as the championship leader for this weekend’s Italian GP, former F1 driver Giancarlo Fisichella praised how the youngster has weeded out the errors that plagued him in his rookie campaign last year. “Last year, it was the first season for Kimi, and he made a few mistakes and was a bit up and down. He was inconsistent, quick in some races, and not in others and made mistakes.

C. Andre Siddarth celebrated his 20th birthday in style, smashing a stunning 47-ball 82 (7x4, 5x6) to power Vida Kovai Kings to its third TNPL title, beating Madurai Panthers by 84 runs in the summit clash here at the MAC Stadium on Friday. It was a remarkable turnaround for M. Shahrukh Khan’s men, who had just one win from the first four games before stringing together five consecutive victories to emerge triumphant in the tournament’s tenth edition.

Well begun is half done, goes the saying. Madurai Panthers did just that, establishing itself as the side to watch out for by winning its first four games. Though there was a minor stumble in between, Panthers closed out the league stage strongly with a 72-run thrashing of Nellai Royal Kings to finish on top of the table. That proved vital as it helped Panthers reach the final after their Qualifier-1 game against second-placed Trichy Grand Cholas was washed out.