Kousik’s Gritty Fifty in Vain as Ranipet marches to finals

Ranipet booked their place in the final with a composed 7 wicket win over Coimbatore in the semifinal of the SS Rajan Trophy T20, organised by the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA), at the Chennai Super Kings Cricket Ground, Tirunelveli in the afternoon of Thursday, 08 January 2026. 

After winning the toss, Ranipet elected to field and were rewarded with early breakthroughs. Coimbatore struggled to gain momentum as Radhakrishnan S and Ajitesh G were dismissed cheaply, while captain Hari Nishaanth also fell inside the powerplay. Kousik J then anchored the innings with a resolute knock of 55 off 49 balls, holding the innings together despite wickets falling regularly at the other end. Sporadic support came from Sujay S (10), Abhinav M (11) and Saravana Kumar P (11), but disciplined bowling from Ranipet ensured Coimbatore could not accelerate in the latter stages. Silambarasan M delivered a match-defining spell, finishing with 3 for 20, while Rohit R provided effective support with 2 for 25, as Coimbatore were restricted to 121 for 9 in their allotted 20 overs.

In reply, Ranipet approached the chase with composure and clarity. After the early dismissals of Risheek Kumar S and Saravanan K, Jaiganesh Kumar R played the stabilising role with a calm, unbeaten 45 off 43 deliveries. The momentum decisively swung in Ranipet’s favour when Atheeq Ur Rahman M A counter-attacked with an aggressive 38 off just 21 balls, effectively neutralising the required run rate.Despite a disciplined spell from Saravana Kumar P, who returned impressive figures of 2 for 14, the target proved insufficient. Ranipet reached 122 for 3 in 16.5 overs to complete a comfortable chase and bring Coimbatore’s campaign to an end at the semifinal stage. Coimbatore was losing finalists last year and bows out in the semi finals this year

Match Summary

Coimbatore 121/9 in 20 overs
Kousik J 55 (49)
Silambarasan M 3/20
Rohit R 2/25
lost to
Ranipet 122/3 in 16.5 overs
Jaiganesh Kumar R 45* (43)
Atheeq Ur Rahman M A 38 (21)
Saravana Kumar P 2/14

Result: Ranipet won by 7 wickets and progress to finals. They will meet defending champions Chengalpet in the final to be played on 09 January 2026. This will be a rematch of the 2024 Finals where Chengalpet won the tournament. Chengalpet will be looking to achieve a hatrick of titles. The match will be live streamed in TNCA Youtube Channel