The Tamil Nadu Premiere League (TNPL) Edition of 2023 has almost come to an end. The playoffs have arrived. The TNPL 2023 Playoffs consist of four teams, named from the top of the table;
- Lyca Kovai Kings
- Dindigul Dragons
- Nellai Royal Kings
- Siechem Madurai Panthers
After a grueling battle in the league stage, these four teams have made their mark on the Fatal Four Way contest in the quest for the trophy. TNPL enthusiasts would be expecting nail-biting encounters.
The TNPL Playoffs System:
TNPL Playoffs commence in the exact same format as the Indian Premier League (IPL). There are four total games in the playoffs. The Qualifier 1 (or Q1), The Eliminator, the Qualifier 2 game (or Q2), and the all-awaited finals. The top two teams will face off for a direct spot in the finals at the Q1. The losing team will get another chance to clinch the second spot for the final in Q2.
In the meanwhile, the Eliminator will have the bottom two teams (out of the top 4) facing off. The team losing the Eliminator game is out of the rest of the playoffs. The winner goes on to Q2 to face the losing team of Q1. The winner of Q2 goes against the winner of Q1 in the finals, where the winner is awarded with the trophy.
The Q1 and Eliminator are to be taken place at Salem, while the Q2 and Finals will commence at Tirunelveli.
Now that the playoffs of TNPL have been discussed, let us take a look at each of the qualified teams one by one.
Lyca Kovai Kings
The reigning, defending champions have truly been undisputable (pun intended) this TNPL. Under the captaincy of Shahrukh Khan, LKK has been phenomenal. With a staggering +2.115 NRR and only one loss out of the seven games they’ve played, LKK seems unstoppable and is the top favorite to win this edition of the TNPL.
Lyca Kovai Kings have ruled the tournament so far. The top scorer (Sai Sudarshan) and joint-highest wicket-taker (Shahrukh Khan) both are from LKK.
Sai Sudarshan, the young left-handed batting talent has scored 371 runs in 6 innings with an average of more than 70. He is continuing the exact same consistency as he has in the IPL with the same calm, composed demeanor. His sensational timing and attacking shots are also prominent whenever he comes onto the field.
On the other hand, the highest wicket-taker is Shahrukh Khan, who also happens to be the captain of the team. His leadership skills and the way he rotates bowlers are nothing less than impressive. Leading from the front, he has contributed both with bat and ball with 124 runs at a Strike Rate of 200 (the highest so far in the tournament) and 13 wickets at an average of 10.46.
M Siddharth will be one of their key bowlers. The left-arm orthodox spinner has 10 wickets with an economy as low as 5.42.
Other players like Sujay S, Gowtham Thamarai Kannan, etc. Have also shown contributions from time to time, making the team stronger overall. As mentioned before, they are the defending champions and will be looking forward to winning the title once again.
Let us take a look at their squad:
Shahrukh Khan ©, Atheeq Ur Rahman M A, Sujay S, Gowtham Thamarai Kannan K, Hemcharan P, Sachin B, Vidyuth P, Sai Sudarshan, Mohammed M, Kiran Akash L, Yudheesvaran V, Mukilesh U, Divakar R, Om Prakash K M, Suresh Kumar J, Ram Aravindh R, Jhatavedh Subramanyan, Manimaran Siddharth.
Dindigul Dragons
With the absence of the TNCA Stalwart Ravichandran Ashwin, the team is led by Baba Indrajith because of Ashwin’s national duties. They’ve ended in the second position in the points table and will be facing the Kovai Kings at the Q1 game.
Their highest run scorer has been Shivam Singh (270 runs, 45 avg) and their highest wicket-taker has been Varun Chakaravarthy (11 wickets, 6.28 eco).
Shivam Singh has performed the power-packed opener role in the team. With his striking ability, he has proven to be a consistent performer for the side. The spin trickster Varun Chakaravarthy has done exactly what he did in the IPL, scalping away wicket after wicket. Even though he went wicketless and expensive in a few encounters he still has been the key bowler of Dindigul Dragons.
Players like Subodh Bhati (who is also a big wicket taker), and also scored with a 180+ SR holding the bat like a sword; skipper Baba Indrajith basking runs at a high average of 64.33; P Saravana Kumar, a medium pacer with 10 wickets even though he hasn’t been at his best very recently; and so forth combine to make a stunning squad soaring their way towards the trophy.
The Dindigul Dragons squad is as follows:
Baba Indrajith ©, Shivam Singh, Hemanth Kumar G, Ravichandran Ashwin, Vimal Khumar R, Subodh Bhati, Boopathi, Saravana Kumar P, Kishore G, Diran VP, Mathivanan M, Advaith Sharma, Rohan Ravi Bhutra, Sarath Kumar C, Arun S, Vignesh P, Affan Khader M, Adithya Ganesh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Tamil Dhileepan M E.
Nellai Royal Kings
The third team of the TNPL Playoffs who would be facing a must-win challenge against the Siechem Madurai Panthers who ended their league stage campaign with a solid win, Nellai Royal Kings are no team to underestimate.
G Ajitesh, an exhilarating performer in the TNPL hasn’t had any exception of a wonderful season. The brute batter has over 205 runs with a century this season at an average of more than 50. He has been noted as one of the best performers in this tournament. One can be pretty sure that an IPL contract is not far away from his hands
M Poiyamozhi is their highest wicket-taker who took 10 wickets and is now also known to hit that final ball six to win against LKK (the only game which LKK lost). This tells the volume of potential the team has overall.
KB Arun Karthick, another well-known batter in the Tamil Nadu cricket circuit has had a pretty okay-ish season so far although he has scored a century too, but his massive strike rate of more than 160 seems promising.
There are other potential gems in this team as well, such as Sonu Yadav, Sandeep Warrier, and so forth. And once NRK clicks together as a team, there’s no stopping them. One has to remember that NRK is the only team to beat LKK in this edition. So it could be a surprise if they win, but they seem to deserve it.
The squad of Nellai Royal Kings is:
Arun Karthik ©, G Ajitesh, R Easwaran, Sri Neranjan, L Suryaprakash, NS Harish, Lakshay Jain, R Mithun, M Poiyamozhi, Nidhish Rajagopal, Sonu Yadav, T Veeramani, SJ Arun Kumar, K Manikandan, Mohan Prasath, Sandeep Warrier, L Vignesh, Emmanuel Cherian, N Kabilan, J Rohan, P Sugendhiran
Siechem Madurai Panthers
Coming out of a win against iDream Tiruppur Tamizhans, without which Chepauk Super Gillies would’ve qualified, SMP is in complete hopes going into the playoffs. They’ll be facing NRK in the Eliminator game.
Their highest run-scorer is skipper Hari Nishanth, who has scored about 168 runs at an avg of 24. He’s had a pretty decent-ish season as his strike rate hasn’t exceeded 120 either
Gurjapneet Singh, the left-arm pacer has taken 13 wickets for the side, adding some flavor to their pace attack. Also, Washington Sundar has scored 119 runs with an average of 39.66 and a strike rate of 138.37
Although there’s not much to speak about Siechem Madurai Panthers, the win against Tirupur would feel like a huge relief on their way to the playoffs. SMP would be hoping for a miracle to win against NRK and maybe the trophy eventually.
The squad of SMP is as follows:
Hari Nishanth ©, S Chandran, S Karthik, Suresh Lokeshwar, Sri Abisek, K Deeban Lingesh, Jagatheesan Kousik, Washington Sundar, V Aaditya, Ajay Krishna, M Ashwin, V Gowtham, Gurjapneet Singh, Dev Rahul, P Saravanan, D Sudhan, Balu Surya, S Singh, A Subikshan, M Ayush, Krish Jain, Mithul Raj
A Review of the stadiums used at the Playoffs
There will be two stadiums used for the playoff games. The Q1 and Eliminator game would happen at Salem, while the rest (Q2 and Finals) will happen at Tirunelveli. Let’s take a glance on the conditions there
SCF Cricket Ground, Salem:
It is a balanced, low-scoring wicket which favors both spin and pace equally.
The average score of this ground has been between the 140-150 mark in the 1st innings and this is a good place to defend a score since the average 2nd innings score hasn’t even exceeded 120. The highest chase in this ground was 174. So you can expect this ground to provide a low-scoring thriller
India Cement Company Ground, Tirunelveli:
This is another balanced wicket, slightly favoring bowlers, and more high scoring as compared to the SCF Cricket Ground.
The average score of the first innings here has been 151 and in the second innings, the average score is 137.
One difference is that the pitch favors spinners slightly. Hence an average-scoring game with a bowling advantage is expected on this ground.
Conclusion
We come to the conclusion of this article. High expectations for close contests and good cricket as the TNPL rolls into the very last leg of the tournament. Four matches, high stakes, high rewards! Only time can tell who will clinch the trophy and emerge as the champions of the Tamil Nadu Premiere League!
Also Read:
