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The Lyca Kovai Kings will take on the Salem Spartans in the opening match of the TNPL 2021 on July 19. The match will take place at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The Spartans, formerly known as the Tuti Patriots, won the inaugural edition in 2016 and finished second in the subsequent year.
However, they flattered to deceive in 2018 and 2019, finishing fifth and sixth, respectively. The Spartans will be captained by Shahrukh Khan, who gained plenty of experience while playing for the Punjab Kings in the first leg of the 2021 Indian Premier League. They will not have the services of all-rounder Washington Sundar, however, as he will miss out due to national duties.
The Kings, on the other hand, are yet to get their hands on the TNPL trophy. In 2019, they had their worst season as they finished fifth in the points table. There’s uncertainty over T Natarajan’s participation as well. The Kings’ premier fast bowler is currently recuperating after a knee injury.
In their previous meeting in the TNPL, the Spartans (known as the Tuti Patriots back then) won by six runs after a high-scoring 13-over match at the NPR College Ground.
Match Details
Match: Lyca Kovai Kings vs Salem Spartans, TNPL 2021
Date: July 19, 2021 (Monday)
Time: 7:30 PM (IST) & 2:00 PM (GMT)
Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.
Weather Report
As per Accuweather, there is no prediction of rain from 7 PM to 10 PM, though clouds will hover above the ground. The temperature will be around the 30 degree Celsius mark with humidity mostly in the 60s.
Pitch Report
The pitch at Chepauk has been on the slower side of late. Even in the first leg of the 2021 IPL, the spinners got a lot of assistance from the wicket. The track is expected to slow down as the game progresses, and batting may get tougher. The team batting second may not find it easy to chase down targets.
Predicted Playing XIs
Lyca Kovai Kings
The Kings will be pinning their hopes on Shahrukh Khan, their second-highest run-scorer in the previous TNPL season. He scored 194 runs at an average of 27.71 with one half-century. In Natarajan’s absence, the onus will be on S Ajith Ram and K Vignesh to deliver with the ball.
Predicted XI: Shahrukh Khan (C), Ganga Sridhar Raju, Ashwin Venkataraman, Nishaanth Kumar Alwar, J Suresh Kumar (WK), R Kavin, Atheeq Ur Rahman, Abhishek Tanwar, Krishnamoorthy Vignesh, S Ajith Ram, S Anandakumar
Salem Spartans
Vijay Shankar, Murugan Ashwin and G Periyaswamy are the three players the Spartans will depend a lot on. Periyaswamy was the leading wicket-taker in the 2019 TNPL edition as he picked up 21 wickets. Shankar and Ashwin have rubbed shoulders with the best thanks to their stints in the IPL and will need to bring all their experience to the fore.
Predicted XI: Akshay Srinivasan, KH Gopinath, Daryl Ferrario (C), A Aarif (WK), Suganesh M, Vijay Shankar, Murugan Ashwin, M Ganesh Moorthi, S Boopalan, Ravi Karthikeyan, Ganeshan Periyaswamy
Match Prediction
Salem Spartans are expected to win the TNPL season opener.
TV and live streaming details
Star Sports Network has acquired the rights to telecast TNPL 2021.
TV: Star Sports Network
Live Streaming: Disney+Hotstar
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