T. Natarajan. Varun Chakaravarthy. Sai Sudharsan.
Would the world at large have known the talent and potential of these players if not for the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL)?
Doubtful. This is what TNPL has done and can do.
Why, just last season, it showcased Poiyamozhi, the Dwayne Bravo-esque slow-ball expert; Subodh Bhati, the Natarajan-type yorker bowler; Leg-spinner Jhathavedh Subramanyan, who has a Ravi Bishnoi-like angled run-up; Off-spinner Rajendran Karthikeyan, the R. Ashwin-like carrom-ball bowler; Harish Kumar, the Mohammed Shami-like straight-seam presenter; K. Easwaran, who has a Makhaya Ntini-like bowling action; R. Silambarasan, Athisayaraj Davidson, and W. Antony Dhas, the Malinga-like slingers who played for the same team; G. Ajitesh, a Rohit Sharma-like fine puller of the ball.
Also, there’s this uniqueness of it. Where else to watch Baba Aparajith pick an R. Ashwin carrom-ball and smack it for a six? Ashwin and Varun bowl in tandem? Umpire Kaushik Gandhi play?
Naturally, excitement is rife again as the eighth season gets underway at the Salem Cricket Foundation ground here on Friday.
As usual, there are marquee players to watch out for. Sai Kishore, who has had a great season with Tamil Nadu and fetched the highest auction price in TNPL history, will be one such name to watch out for. Though the Zimbabwe-bound Sai Sudharsan is set to miss at least the initial few matches, he’s sure to pull in crowds to the grounds and grab eyeballs on TV when he’s back.
As Lyca Kovai Kings looks to complete a three-peat, it’ll be looking to make a winning start to its campaign as it takes on Chepauk Super Gillies in the inaugural match.
On the eve of the match, Super Gillies captain Aparajith highlighted how the league has been fielding players from across the state and how players who become break-out stars from the league almost always end up playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and for India.
Time for the next batch of break-out stars!
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