3 TNPL 2023 players who you may not know were once part of the IPL

Like seasons of yore, the ongoing TNPL 2023 season has been an enthralling one, with the platform allowing multiple players to stake their claims for higher honors in front of selectors and scouts from the IPL.

In what is one of the biggest state-run T20 leagues in the country, new talent continues to emerge with every passing year as they leave an indelible ink on the competition. Their transition into higher levels has often been a smooth one too, with IPL contracts coming the way of those who offer a cutting edge.

The likes of Washington Sundar, Shahrukh Khan, Varun Chakaravarthy and T Natarajan can certainly vouch for the same. From making a mark in the TNPL, they have gone on to bag IPL contracts, with most of them also going on to represent India.

There are a number of veterans who continue to ply their trade in the league, though. Here, we look at three players in TNPL 2023 who you may not know were once a part of an IPL franchise:

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#1 Rajagopal Sathish

42-year-old Rajagopal Sathish continues to defy his age and turn up at the TNPL year after year. The veteran has been a massive component of the Chepauk Super Gillies (CSG) and continues to ply his trade for them in TNPL 2023.

The seam-bowling all-rounder was one of many players who took part in the rebel Indian Cricket League before accepting the amnesty offer by the BCCI. That saw the Mumbai Indians (MI) sign him up in 2010 as he turned heads with his athletic fielding, which is regarded as among the finest the country has produced.

Sathish played for the Kings XI Punjab (as they were called back then) in 2012 and was at the non-striker's end when David Miller scripted a famous chase against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in 2013. His last IPL appearance came in 2016 under Gautam Gambhir at the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

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#2 KB Arun Karthick

Much like Sathish, Arun Karthick is another Tamil Nadu player for whom age is all but a mere number. The wicket-keeper batter, who piled up runs consistently for the Siechem Madurai Panthers, is now leading the Nellai Royal Kings in TNPL 2023.

Karthick was part of the initial Chennai Super Kings (CSK) roster in 2008 before he made his IPL debut for the team in 2010. He then joined the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and etched himself into folklore with a famous last-ball six that helped them qualify for the semifinals and eventually the final of the Champions League T20 in 2011.

Karthick continued to make intermittent appearances for RCB in the following two years and donned the wicket-keeper's gloves. He has played 17 matches in the league and hasn't had gigs coming his way since the 2013 season.

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#3 Baba Aparajith

Baba Aparajith's quality as a batting all-rounder needs no introduction, given how pivotal a component he has been for Tamil Nadu over the last decade or so. With truckloads of runs and miserly overs of off-spin, he has been highly sought-after in the TNPL, having also assumed captaincy duties in seasons gone by.

Currently with the Super Gillies in TNPL 2023, Aparajith was once a part of the IPL. While his T20 numbers may not be eye-catching at face value, it is a surprise that he hasn't played a game in the league given the skillset he offers - a quality batter against spin in particular, a more than handy off-spinner and a gun fielder.

In many ways, he was what Washington Sundar turned out to be before the latter's emergence. Aparajith was contracted by CSK in 2013 and represented them in the two seasons that followed too.

During their two-year hiatus in 2016 and 2017, he was a part of another team featuring MS Dhoni, the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant, but failed to get a game there as well. Having begun well in TNPL 2023, he will hope that a second coming in the IPL isn't far away.

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Which star in TNPL 2023 do you think should get a gig in the next IPL season? Have your say in the comments section below!

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