TNPL 2016: Dindigul Dragons banking on Ravichandran Ashwin's experience for TNPL glory

Dindigul Dragons, who will get their Tamil Nadu Premier League extravaganza underway with their first ever match against the Madurai Super Giants at the NPR College Ground here on Saturday, might be without the services of their skipper and the team’s biggest asset Ravichandran Ashwin due to international commitments, but are still banking on the experienced cricketer, who will be available from their second match scheduled for August 30 to lead their quest for glory.

While Ashwin might have been busy in the West Indies helping Virat Kohli’s side clinch the four-match Test series 2-0 with 236 runs and 17 wickets to his name thereby collecting the Man-of-the-Series award, the 29-year-old has been helping out his TNPL side with useful inputs on how to shape up the squad and the team’s preparation in general.

The skipper is expected to be available for the remaining part of the tournament after he returns to India. Ashwin should join the side once the two-match T20 series between West Indies and India to be held in the USA comes to a close and Dragons coach Venkataramana is confident that his side can have a season to remember under Ashwin’s captaincy.

"It's a big plus for us that R Ashwin will be part of the team from the second game which is on August 30,” pointed out Venkataramana, on the eve of the clash against the Madurai franchise.

Dragon’s stand-in skipper Subramania Siva still expects the team to start on a winning note despite Ashwin’s absence for the tournament opener and has full faith in the squad, which includes IPL surprise package Murugan Ashwin, that has been assembled by the team management.

“We have the team to deliver the goods in the opening game. We have a lot of quality in our ranks and you would get to see that as the tournament progresses," he said.

Madurai Super Giants, meanwhile have a lot of district players in their squad – the most in fact among the eight franchises – and team director Dayanidhi Alagiri believes that their T20 experience will come in handy for their TNPL journey.

"The district cricketers play a lot of Twenty20 matches and know the nuances of this format well. It's definitely a big advantage having them in the mix," Alagiri said.

Madurai are also without their regular skipper Arun Kathick who is engaged in Duleep Trophy action at the moment but coach Michael Bevan is hopeful that other players in the squad see it as an opportunity to stake a claim for themselves in the playing eleven.

“Arun is a very good player and that’s the reason why he is playing in the Duleep Trophy right now. He is a big asset for the team,” conceded Bevan. “But I think any team’s success depends on collective performance. So we are also looking forward to everyone in the team performing.”