Tamil Nadu is not going to have any dearth of cricket action as the Tamil Nadu Premier League starts just a month after the IPL, that was won by the Chennai Super Kings.
The 2018 edition of Indian Premier League saw the return of Chennai Super Kings to IPL after serving their suspension of two years. Mahendra Singh Dhoni & Co. made a very successful comeback, winning the title by defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad in the final on 27th May.
With the state still buzzing from the action of the IPL and the success of the home team, Chennai Super Kings, it is the perfect time for the TNPL 2018 to take off.
The third edition of the TNPL starts from 11th July and is expected to go on till mid August. The tournament is set to feature star local players like Dinesh Karthik, Washington Sundar, Murali Vijay and Ravichandran Ashwin.
History
The Tamil Nadu Premier League had its initiation in 2016, formed by the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) to showcase the local talent on a bigger stage. The inaugural edition of the TNPL was won by the Tuti Patriots while the second edition was won by the Chepauk Super Gillies.
Format
The TNPL follows a similar tournament structure to that of the IPL with eight teams participating in a round-robin stage followed by the playoffs. Each team will play two matches with every other team, and the four teams with the highest number of points qualify for the playoffs.
The first and second team play each other in the first playoff, where the winner goes directly to the final while the losing team plays in the second eliminator match with the winner of the first eliminator between the third and fourth team.
The final takes place between the winner of the first playoff and the winner of the second eliminator.
Venue
The TNPL takes place across three stadiums in three cities - Chepauk Stadium (Chennai), IC Ground (Tirunelveli) and NPR College Ground (Dindigul). However there have been positive talks regarding the addition of Coimbatore as a venue for the TNPL. The SNR College Ground would be selected cricket ground if Coimbatore is selected as a venue, who have a franchise of their own in the Lyca Kovai Kings.
Teams
The tournament features eight teams. The teams selected their played after several rounds of auction in Chennai on 31st May. A maximum of three players were allowed to be retained, as teams like Dindigul Dragons used their retention ability to keep a hold of their star player like R. Ashwin.
All the eight franchises in the TNPL are - Tuti Patriots, Chepauk Super Gillies, LYCA Kovai Kings, Siechem Madurai Panthers, Ruby Trichy Warriors, Dindigul Dragons, VB Kanchi Veerans and iDream Karaikudi Kaalai.
Availability of Players
Dinesh Karthik is expected to be out of the first two games of the TNPL, along with Washington Sundar, as the duo have been selected for the limited overs format of India's Tour of England. Karthik might be gone for an even longer period if he is selected for the ensuing Test series as well.
R Ashwin will be there with the Dindigul Dragons for the first few games after which he will depart for the Test series between India and England.
