TNPL kicks off, Karthik leads his team to victory
The inaugural season of the Tamil Nadu Premier League kicked off at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai last night. Performances of singer Karthik and actor Shriya Saran were the focus of the function. Captain Dinesh Karthik led his team, the Tuti Patriots, to victory scoring a 67 run knock in the opening match against the Chepauk Super Gillies.
Along the lines of Karnataka Premier League (KPL) and Maharashtra Premier League (MPL), the Tamil Nadu State Cricket Association has come up with Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL). The league has eight teams from Tamil Nadu and has been started to improve opportunities and give a boost to the state's cricketing talent. India Cements is the sole sponsor for the tournament.
Narayanaswami Srinivasan, the former Chairman of International Cricket Board is the current President of Tamil Nadu's Cricket Association. He was also the President of BCCI before being told to step down by the Supreme Court of India after his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan was found guilty of fixing matches during the IPL 2003-04 season. N. Srinivasan is the current Managing Director of India Cements Ltd.
The Tamil Nadu Premier League which has kicked off from 24th August would feature eight teams with star captains like Ravichandran Ashwin, Murali Vijay and Dinesh Karthik. Dindigul Dragons would be captained by Ashwin, whereas Lyca Kovai Kings and Tuti Patriots would be led by Murali Vijay and Dinesh Karthik respectively. The three week long tournament would be played in a round robin format.
Former Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden has been appointed as the mascot for the tournament. Various international players like Brett Lee, Lance Klusener and Michael Bevan have been appointed by various teams of TNPL as their head coaches.
