Two of the biggest names in the IPL, Suresh Raina and Yusuf Pathan, have signed up for the second edition of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL).
Around 80 outstation cricketers sent in their forms to take part in the competition even as the deadline ended on Thursday evening.
All these players had already tied up with the various TNCA clubs – this is mandatory requirement for becoming eligible for the TNPL.
For instance, the left-handed Raina has been roped in by Grand Slam. And Yusuf, who did not have a club until Wednesday night, has signed up with a lower division club.
Out of the 80-odd players, only a maximum of 24 will get picked for TNPL.
Each of the eight franchises can have three outstation players in the squad out of which two can figure in the eleven.
The player draft for the outstation cricketers, to be held here on June 23, will have three rounds. The first round will be in the order of the tournament placings from the first edition of the TNPL with Albert Tuti Patriots getting to pick the first player.
To even the playing field, the second round will be in the reverse order, with the bottom placed Madurai starting the proceedings. The third round will be from top to bottom again.
Some of the other important players to sign up for the draft are leg-spinners Piyush Chawla and Yuzvendra Chahal, wicket-keeper batsman Sanju Samson, pacemen Sandeep Sharma and Ashoke Dinda, batsmen Manoj Tiwari, Unmukt Chand, Manan Vohra, and Hanuma Vihari.
The TNPL said several applications had to be rejected because the player concerned had not signed up with a TNCA club.
The player draft of the local players who had been released by the respective franchises will be held on the same date. The draft will commence in the reverse order of the team placements from the last season.
The return of Suresh Raina, a popular member of the Chennai Super Kings to Tamil Nadu, will be happy news for many his fans here.
The 30-year-old left-hander is a destructive player and a game-changer. He has figured in 259 Twenty20 matches so far, notching up 6872 runs at 33.52 (a telling average for a middle-order batsman in the game’s shortest format) with a strike-rate of 139.22.
Raina is electric on the field and his off-spinners have been handy.
Given his attributes, Tuti Patriots is very likely to pick the mercurial Raina as soon as the draft begins.
Although not quite as consistent as Raina, the big-hitting Yusuf is an influential cricketer. He was a huge factor in Rajasthan Royals winning the inaugural IPL. And he’s had his share of successes with his current side Kolkata Knight Riders, both with bat and ball.
Meanwhile, two of the franchises have opted to change their names. Madurai Supergiants will now be Madurai Supergiant. And Ruby Kanchi Warriors will be called Ruby Tiruchi Warriors.
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