As the eighth season of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) enters its final phase here on Friday, two things have been ascertained for the playoffs: Defending champion Lyca Kovai Kings (10 points) and four-time champion Chepauk Super Gillies (8) have qualified, and SKM Salem Spartans (2) has been eliminated.
Kovai and Chepauk are the top two and Salem is the last-placed in the points table.
The third and fourth placed Trichy Grand Cholas (6) and iDream Tiruppur Tamizhans (6) will face off in a virtual knockout clash on Saturday. It is the last round-robin match for both the teams and the winner will seal a playoff berth.
The fifth-placed Dindigul Dragons (6) stands a great chance to qualify with two matches remaining. It just has to win at least one.
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The sixth-placed Nellai Royal Kings (5) has to win its last match versus Dindigul to give itself the best possible chance. Even with that win, it’ll need a few favourable results.
The seventh-placed Siechem Madurai Panthers (3), which has just a sole win from five matches, still stands an outside chance to qualify. It has to win its last two matches by big margins to boost its net run rate and needs other results to go in its favour.
Last season, distinctive bounce and swing were on view for the pacers at the NPR College Ground here. The pitches retained moisture and had grass patches. Spinners had the second-highest degree of turn here after Tirunelveli. So, all but one match were low-scoring affairs.
If the weather and the pitches are to be the same this time, the playoff-aspiring teams will heavily rely on their bowlers.
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