India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin left his mark with the bat in the opening match of Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) 2019 in Dindigul on Friday (July 19).

Leading Dindigul Dragons against Chepauk Super Gillies, Ashwin promoted himself to No. 3 in the batting order and played a cameo of 19-ball 37. His quickfire knock was laced with 5 fours and 1 six. The Dragons skipper was caught and bowled in the 9th over by his Kings XI Punjab teammate Murugan Ashwin, who is the premier leg-spinner for the Super Gillies.

Ashwin's dismissal triggered a collapse as the home team went from 69/3 to 113/9. Dindigul Dragons eventually finished with 115 for 9 in 20 overs. R Alexander was the pick of the bowlers for the Super Gillies, picking up 3 wickets for 11 runs in his 4 overs.

In the chase, Super Gillies were restricted to 105 for 9 as no batsmen managed to cross the 20-run mark. M Silambarasan claimed a four-wicket haul for the Dragons while Jagannathan Kaushik and M Mohammed chipped in with a couple of scalps each.

Ravichandran Ashwin will play for Dindigul Dragons throughout the fourth season of TNPL. The new season features 8 teams and will be held between July 19 and August 15.