5 Indian national team players who will be competing in Tamil Nadu Volleyball League 2024 ft. Muthusamy Appavu 

The Tamil Nadu Volleyball League (TNVL) season 1 is set to kick off on Wednesday, January 3. The tournament is organized by the Tamil Nadu State Volleyball Association and will run until January 12 at the Santhome Higher Secondary Education School Indoor Stadium in Mylapore in Chennai.

The nine-day event will feature six teams in a single round-robin format followed by playoffs. Each team will play not more than five matches in the league stage, wherein the table topper will book a direct spot in the final. The teams that finish second and third will clash in an eliminator game to determine the second finalist.

Chennai Rockstars, Cuddalore With us, Krishnagiri Bulls, Kumari Phoenix, Villupuram Super Kings, and Virudhunagar King Makers are the teams to watch out for in the inaugural edition of the TNVL.

Each team consists of a 14-member squad picked from a draft with a maximum of two players from other states, four players from departments in Tamil Nadu, seven players from Tamil Nadu Universities and Colleges, and one player from Tamil Nadu school.

Let's look at the top Indian players to participate in the TNVL first season.

#5 Vinit Kumar

The Indian men's volleyball team captain Vinit Kumar will play for the Virudhunagar King Makers in the Tamil Nadu Volleyball League. The universal was key in leading the Indian team to a sixth-place finish at the Asian Games 2022 last year in Hangzhou. He also plays for Kolkata Thunderbolts in the Prime Volleyball League.

Kumar is known for his precisive blocks and spikes that put his team in a commendable position. He can play from all positions on the court which makes him one of the charismatic all-rounders in the country.

#4 Manoj LM

Manoj Lakshmipuram Manjunatha will play for Cuddalore With us in the first season of the TNVL. The India and Ahmedabad Defenders' middle blocker will be a key member of the side, which also includes attacker Hardeep Singh, setter Munish VS, and libero Ramanathan R.

Manoj has bagged 64 points, including 45 attack points and 18 block points. The six-foot-nine-inch lanky player has an average of 7.11.

#3 Amit Gulia

The rising Indian star has been in tremendous form on the court. He was the highest scorer (19 points) for Ahmedabad Defenders in the Men's Volleyball Club World Championship. With his searing spikes and agility to move around the court, Amit Gulia is one of the most distinguished players in the country.

The star attacker will play for Villupuram Super Kings in the upcoming TNVL season.

#2 Ashwal Rai

Ashwal Rai is one of the brightest stars to lift the bar of Indian volleyball over the last few years. He was an integral member of the Indian team's Asian Games campaign. The Karnataka-born led Kolkata Thunderbolts to victory in the first season of the Prime Volleyball in 2022.

The six-foot and eight-inch tall player will give the opponents a test of his lethal spikes in Chennai.

#1 Muthusamy Appavu

Although Muthusamy Appavu is from Tamil Nadu, he will be considered as an outstation player in the Tamil Nadu Volleyball League. This is because the Thiruvarur-born player is a registered employee of BPCL, Kerala, in the six-team event. Muthusamy was the captain of Ahmedabad Defenders who won the second season of PVL 2023.

He also led the side in the Club World Championship in Bengaluru last month, though they lost both their league games against Sir Sicoma Perugia and Itambe Minas. Muthusamy made his national team debut in 2018 and has also played a vital part in Team India's various memorable tournaments, including the silver medal at the U23 Asian Championship silver medal-winning.