TNPL 2021 indefinitely postponed due to lockdown restrictions

TNPL 2021 was postponed once again
TNPL 2021 was postponed once again

The fifth edition of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL 2021) has been indefinitely postponed due to the prevailing COVID-19 situation in the state. The revised schedule for TNPL 2021 will only be finalized once the lockdown restrictions ease up in Tamil Nadu.

TNPL 2021 was initially scheduled to take place from June 4. The final was slated for July 4 at the SCF Cricket Ground in Salem. Tamil Nadu’s biggest ground, the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, was not picked for any TNPL 2021 games owing to the rising COVID-19 cases in the city.

Chief Executive Officer of TNPL Prasanna Kannan has now confirmed to Inside Sport that the tournament has been indefinitely postponed.

“There is a lockdown effect in Tamil Nadu now. So, once we have an idea in terms of when it is going to be relaxed, only then can we take a call. Since we do not have clarity on when the restrictions will be eased, we have postponed the tournament. We were supposed to start the tournament on June 4,” Kannan confirmed.

The lockdown in Tamil Nadu was extended by Chief Minister M K Stalin on Saturday. The week-long total lockdown begins May 24 and will see no further relaxation in the state. Tamil Nadu has been reporting a record-high daily number of cases for several days now, with the active number of cases remaining above the 47,000-mark for almost a week.

Revised schedule for TNPL 2021 to be announced later

This is not the first time the TNPL has had to move away from its original dates. The previous edition of the tournament was called off last year due to the pandemic. The TNPL CEO said the plan of action for the domestic T20 league will be confirmed after consultation with the government.

“We are monitoring the situation. We will have a discussion with the government and then once we have a decision, we will announce the revised schedule,” Kannan concluded.

TNPL 2021 is the second T20 league in India to be postponed this month as the country reels under a disastrous second wave of COVID-19. IPL 2021 was also postponed indefinitely on May 4 after several franchises reported COVID-19 cases within their camps.

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Edited by Prem Deshpande