The fifth edition of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) will commence on July 19 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, with the entirety of the competition scheduled to be played at the same venue behind closed doors. The final of the eight-team T20 league will be played on August 15.
In what comes as exciting and encouraging news for cricketers and fans from Tamil Nadu, Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) secretary R S Ramasaamy has confirmed that the TN government has given the green signal for the fifth edition of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL). The eight-team league, which was cancelled last year owing to the pandemic, will commence on July 19, and will see all games being played behind closed doors at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The final will also be played in Chepauk, on August 15.
“The Tamil Nadu government formally approved holding the TNPL 2021 tournament on July 1 subject to no spectators and strict Covid protocols. After discussions with all the stakeholders, it was decided to start the 2021 edition of TNPL from July 19 to August 15,” Ramasaamy was quoted as saying in a release on Wednesday.
The TNCA Secretary revealed that the tournament will incorporate extensive testing, and added that the players will have to make do with strict bubbles. The players are expected to start training from Friday, July 9.
“The teams are starting their practice on July 9 at Chepauk after extensive testing, quarantine and following strict bubble rules. The BCCI Anti-corruption team will be in place for the tournament for education and monitoring,” Ramasaamy added.
The fifth edition of the competition, however, will be without a host of big names due to various reasons. While Varun Chakravarthy, R Sai Kishore, Sandeep Warrier, Washington Sundar and Ravichandran Ashwin are all on national duty, T Natarajan is recovering from a knee injury that he sustained during the IPL. Dinesh Karthik, who is in the midst of a commentary stint with Sky Sports, will also be unavailable for the entirety of the tournament. The 2019 edition of the competition was won by the Kaushik Gandhi-led Chepauk Super Gillies.
Follow us on Facebook here
Stay connected with us on Twitter here
Like and share our Instagram page here