The inaugural edition of the Tamil Nadu Premier League was a massive success and the tournament came to an end with Albert Tuti Patriots winning the tournament by beating Chepauk Super Gillies by 122 runs in the finals. The tournament exceeded the expectations as the quality of cricket was top-notch.
There were a lot of youngsters who made a mark for themselves in the tournament and were brilliantly backed by the experienced pros. As many as 6 players made it to the TN Ranji probables because of their success in TNPL.
Let us take a look at the team of the tournament.
N Jagadeesan
Dindigul Dragons wicket keeper-batsman, N Jagadeesan is someone who is a familiar face when it comes to scoring runs for Grand Slam CC in the TNCA first division league. Now, the TNPL has given him an opportunity to showcase his talent to the fans around the world. Jagadeesan was brilliant with the bat in the last one month and finished the tournament as the leading run-scorer.
Jagadeesan has accumulated 397 runs from 8 innings in the tournament at an average of over 56 and a strike rate of 120.67, numbers that are extraordinary in the T20 format. Out of the eight innings he played, he managed to score 5 fifties, the most by any player in the tournament and was putting on a one-man show with the bat.
Unfortunately, he couldn't take his team to the finals in spite of scoring a fighting fifty in the first semi-finals against Albert Tuti Patriots as his team lost the match by 38 runs.
Kaushik Gandhi
Kaushik Gandhi is one of the main reasons why Albert Tuti Patriots reached the finals and won the title. Initially, he got starts in almost all the matches but failed to cash in and make it big. When his team was missing the services of their experienced batsmen Dinesh Karthick and Abhinav Mukund, Kaushik stepped up and showed his class.
In the two must-win league games, Kaushik scored 80+ and made sure that his team didn’t miss the experience of the two Indian Internationals, who were unable to take part in the tournament due to Duleep Trophy. Adding to that, he scored a crucial 59 runs off 43 balls in the finals and helped his team win the title.
Kaushik finished the tournament with 366 runs from 9 matches at an average of 45.75 and a brilliant strike-rate of over 140.
Baba Aparajith
Unlike the other names in the team of the TNPL 2016, B Aparajith is someone who has established himself on the big stage when he was the star of India’s triumph in the 2012 under-19 World Cup in which he starred for the boys in blue with both bat and ball in almost all the games.
A lot was expected from Aparajith in this tournament and the youngster didn’t disappoint as he scored a swashbuckling 100 in the second game of the game of the tournament and followed it up with a 91 off just 54 balls in the next game. He also scored an unbeaten 79 in another game and took his team, VB Thiruvallur Veerans to victory from the jaws of defeat.
One thing that stood out is his approach towards his batting as he hardly played a fancy shot and showed that the batsman with proper textbook shots can survive in T20s. Being a part of a Duleep trophy side meant that he could play just five matches in the tournament.
But in those five matches, he scored 293 runs at a Bradman-esque average of 97.67 and a stunning strike-rate of 175.44.
Unfortunately, his heroics couldn’t take his team to the semis as they were knocked out after the league stage as there were two more teams that had a superior NRR than the Veerans.
B Anirudh Sita Ram
B Anirudh Sita Ram is one of the very few players who play for a different state but is a part of the TNPL. The youngster, who was born in Chennai and plays for Jolly Rovers in the TNCA first division, represents Hyderabad in the Ranji Trophy.
After being named as BCCI’s Best Under-19 Cricketer, Anirudh made his Ranji Trophy debut and has performed well for his team. After being brought by Lyca Kovai Kings in the TNPL drafts, no one expected him to open the innings as the Kings already had the services of Murali Vijay and L Surya Prakash.
Vijay's unavailability meant that Anirudh was asked to open with Surya and there was no turning back for the Hyderabadi. He finished the tournament as the third highest run scorer with 304 runs from 8 innings at an average of 43.43 and a strike-rate of 128.27.
Due to a tight race for the opener’s slot, Anirudh was put in the middle order and will be the crisis man in the TNPL team of the tournament.
S Vasanth Saravanan
Chepauk Super Gillies’ batsman S Vasanth Saravanan is yet another example of a veteran doing well in the so-called youngsters game. Vasanth, who is turning 38 in three days’ time, is one of the stars of the tournament.
Being a part of the 1998 under-19 World Cup, alongside Virender Sehwag, Mohammad Kaif and Harbhajan Singh, Saravanan is someone who is very experienced in this format. He was a part of the Indian Cricket League and has played a lot of matches.
He carried his experience into the TNPL and set the stage on fire as he scored 268 runs in 9 innings at an average of 39 and a strike-rate of over 119.
Harish Kumar
Harish Kumar is easily one of the finds of the tournament as the Lyca Kovai Kings all-rounder had a tournament to remember. Playing for India Pistons in the TNCA first division league, Harish didn’t do much for his team in the Rajah of Palayampatti Shield.
But the moment he started playing the shorter format, Harish has become a completely different player. He starred for the Kings with both bat and ball throughout the tournament and finished as one of the leading wicket-takers in the tournament.
He has scalped 13 matches from 8 innings at an average of 17.46 and an economy of just over 7. With the bat, he scored 137 runs from 7 innings at an average of 20 and a strike-rate of over 136.
Murugan Ashwin
M Ashwin became a household name among the Indian cricket fans after he was picked by Rising Pune Supergiants for Rs. 4.5 crore at the 2016 IPL auction. He tried his best to live up to the expectations and did well in the tournament whenever he got a chance.
He has been a revelation in the TNPL in which he starred with both bat and ball and showcased himself as an all-rounder. He finished the league stage as the leading wicket-taker and ended the tournament as the second highest wicket-taker with 13 wickets from 8 matches at an average of 17.07 and an economy of 7.16. He made sure that his team didn’t feel the absence of the other Ashwin (R Ashwin).
He was troubling the batsmen consistently throughout the tournament with his flight and turn. Even with the bat, he did well for his team as he was the one who anchored the team when they lost Jagadeesan early. In the six innings he batted, he scored 105 runs at an average of 35 and a strike-rate of 131.
Antony Dhas
The story of Antony Dhas is an inspiration to many. A lot was expected from the all-rounder in the TNPL and he lived up to the expectation. Though he hardly got a chance to showcase his batting skills, he lit up the tournament with his heroics with the ball.
Dhas was used as a death over specialist and ended the tournament as the leading wicket-taker. He accounted for 14 dismissals in 9 matches at an impressive average and economy of 12.42 and 7.25 respectively.
He is one of the main reason why Chepauk Super Gillies reached the finals of the tournament. He bowled majority of his overs in the death overs and didn’t allow the batsmen to free their arms when it was needed the most.
Aswin Crist
The fans following Tamil Nadu cricket closely know that Aswin Crist is someone who has a lot of potential and can be the answer to the state’s fast bowling woes. In spite of being a part of TN’s Ranji set up for a while, the youngster didn’t show the maturity that was expected from him in the Ranji Trophy.
In the TNPL, Crist has shown something that he was lacking all these years. He was matured and oozed in confidence throughout the tournament. With the experienced L Balaji playing the second fiddle, Crist spearheaded the bowling attack and led from the front. He ended the tournament as the fifth highest wicket-taker.
In the nine matches he played, he scalped 12 wickets at an impressive average and economy of 17.6 and 6.8 respectively.
K Vignesh
K Vignesh could be the answer to Tamil Nadu’s pace bowling woes. The youngster made the news when he took 7 wickets (5 bowled) in an under-13 match almost a decade ago. Vignesh is someone who has all the qualities that a good fast bowler needs- a perfect run-up, simple bowling action, can generate a lot of pace and most importantly, aggression.
The 22-year-old led Lyca Kovai Kings' bowling attack in the tournament and struck early in almost every game. He was his captain's go-to bowler and didn't disappoint his captain on most occasions.
Though his team failed to make it to the finals, Vignesh impressed everyone in the tournament with his bowling. He ended the tournament with 11 wickets from 7 innings at an average of just over 15 and an impressive economy of 6.42, which is extraordinary for someone who bowls majority of his overs inside the first six overs and at the death.
R Sai Kishore
Along with Harish Kumar, R Sai Kishore is also a find of the tournament. The slow left-arm pacer made the news for a controversial spat with N Jagadeesan at Dindigul, an incident that had Indian off-spinner R Ashwin intervening both the youngsters to get things under control.
Barring that incident, the TNPL 2016 is a tournament to remember for the 19-year-old bowler. His performances helped him get into the Tamil Nadu Ranji Trophy probables for the first time. The Chepauk Super Gillies spinner was accurate with his line and length and didn’t allow the batsmen to go after him.
He also choked the run-rate of the opposition when they were cruising. He was one of the very few bowlers who had an economy of under 6 runs per over. He ended the tournament with 12 wickets from 9 matches at an average of 16 and a brilliant economy of 5.64, the best among the bowlers who bowled more than 4 overs in the tournament
The team:
While the above-mentioned players made it to the team of the tournament, there are few players who were narrowly missed out. Chennai Super Gillies’ opening duo of X Thalaivan Sargunam and KH Gopinath batted brilliantly throughout the tournament but were missed out of the team of the tournament.
T Natarajan, who stole the limelight with his brilliant death bowling, too misses out. The other names include Karaikudi Kaalai duo of Sonu Yadav and R Rajkumar, Albert Tuti Patriots’ Washington Sundar and L Balaji, Dindigul Dragons’ MS Sanjay etc. KH Gopinath will be the 12th man while former Indian batsman Hemang Badani is the coach of this team.
Team: N Jagadeesan, Kaushik Gandhi, B Aparajith, B Anirudh Sitaram, Vasanth Saravanan, Harish Kumar, Anthony Dhas, M Ashwin, Aswin Crist, R Sai Kishore, K Vignesh
12th man: KH Gopinath
Coach: Hemang Badani
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