The 5th edition of the Tamil Nadu Premier League(TNPL) is all set to start from the 19th of July. The finals will be played on the 15th of August at Chepauk, Chennai. The 2020 edition of the premier cricket tournament of Tamil Nadu was canceled due to Covid-19.
Along with Chennai, 2 others venues will host the 8 team tournament and this will be decided by the TNCA. Tirunelveli, Dindigul, Coimbatore, and Salem are in the fray to be the hosts and the 32-game tournament will be played within these cities.
TNCA sources have said that the players, officials, and support staff will have to enter quarantine from July 4th in Chennai. Before entering the isolation, all involved will have to show two negative results in RT-PCR tests and further three more during the five days in quarantine. The teams will be allowed to practice from July 9-10 onwards. Meanwhile, fans can make use of online betting in India to enjoy betting on the ongoing cricket and football matches.
The eight teams that will be part of the tournament are Chepauk Super Gillies, Lyca Kovai Kings, Dindigul Dragons, Trichy Warriors (formerly Ruby Kanchi Warriors), iDream Tiruppur Tamizhans (formerly Karaikudi Kaalai), Siechem Madurai Panthers (formerly Madurai Super Giant), Salem Spartans (formerly Tuti Patriots) and Nellai Royal Kings (formerly VB Thiruvallur Veerans).
We will look at each of the 8 teams based on their previous performance in this young tournament. Also, we will figure out who can be the 2 key players from the sides.
Team Previews and Key Players List
Chepauk Super Gillies:
The side captained by Kaushik Gandhi will enter TNPL 2021 as the defending champions after having won in 2019 and once again will start as favorites in this edition.
Key Players
N Jagadeesan is one of the players to watch out for from the team. The youngster has been in great form in this format for his state side Tamil Nadu in VIjay Hazare Trophy.
Sandeep Warrier, the new recruit for the Super Gillies is another player to look out for. He has loads of experience behind him.
Dindigul Dragons
The runner-up of the last 2 editions of TNPL will look to clinch their maiden title this year. They have been the most consistent sides finishing top-3 in 3 of the 4 editions. With R. Ashwin not around, C Hari Nishanth is most likely to lead the side.
Key Players
Hari Nishanth has been one of the most consistent performers for TN in the last few years. His impressive domestic season earlier this year won him a contract with CSK.
M Silambarasan did reasonably well in the last TNPL with his slow left-arm spin and likely to play a huge part in the absence of Ravi Ashwin
Lyca Kovai Kings
The Coimbatore-based side will be led by recent TN sensation Shahrukh Khan. They have been in the playoffs 3 times but never managed to reach the final.
Key Players
M Shahrukh Khan who was a match-winner for them in the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy will be the key member of the Lyca team. His good performance earned him big bucks in the IPL where he played for the Punjab Kings.
T Natarajan if he is fit and available will be a player to watch out for. He has recently represented India in all formats and will be high on confidence.
Trichy Warriors
One of the 5 new christened teams, Trichy Warriors never tasted success in the TNPL. In the 4 editions, the best finish for the Srikanth Anirudha led side is 6th which they will look to change.
Key Players
Murali Vijay is one of the most experienced TN players in this tournament. He is one of the few who has represented India in all forms of the game.
Anirudha Srikanth is a dangerous player when it comes to the T20 format.
iDream Tiruppur Tamizhans
The city of Tiruppur gets a team for the first time in TNPL. Formerly known as Karaikudi Kallais, the iDream Tiruppur team will look to go past their best position of 4th in TNPL.
Key Players
Ashwin Christ is a veteran in the Tamil Nadu circles and will be a key player for this team. The fast bowler will be the one to watch out for.
Dinesh Karthik is named in the team but it is still not clear whether he will play in this edition due to his commentary commitments in the UK.
Siechem Madurai Panthers
The TNPL champions of the 2018 edition finished 3rd in 2019 and will look to add one more trophy to their kitty. Previously known as Madurai Super Giant, this team also has undergone a name change to be now called Seichem Madurai Panthers.
Key Players
KB Arun Karthik showed he is still a match-winner with his exploits in the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy earlier this year. The keeper-batsman will be an integral part of the Madurai team.
R Aushik Srinivas is another bowler to look for in this line-up. He has been a consistent bowler in the TNPL over the years.
Salem Spartans
The inaugural champions by the name of Tuti Patriots are now Salem Spartans. They dozed off in the last 2 editions as they couldn’t even reach the playoffs after starting the league strongly by finishing 1 and 2 in the 1st 2 years.
They will be skippered by Indian international cricketer Vijay Shankar who is himself a great utility player.
Key Players
G Periyasammy won the player of the tournament in the 2019 edition and will once again be the star to out for. A fast bowler with unique action will be key to Salem’s success this year.
Murugan Ashwin, another IPL bound player will look to bring all his experience of playing at the biggest level for Salem.
Nellai Royal Kings
The Nellai based team has never been in the hunt for the title race as their best finish as VB Kanchi Veerans was 4th. They are yet to name the skipper but it is most likely between one among the Baba brothers.
Key Players
Baba Indrajith and Baba Aparajith were once hailed as the next big things for TN when they started their career. But it quietly faded away as time progressed. But they are players with immense potential and may help the Nellai team to their 1st TNPL title.
