TNPL: 10 unsung heroes of all time

Baba Aparajith, R Sai Kishore and Shahrukh Khan. (Photo Source: Twitter)

The Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) has gained a lot of supporters in a few years. In the last seven years, the league has delivered quality cricketing action to the followers of T20 cricket.

Back in 2016, former India captain MS Dhoni inaugurated the maiden edition of the league and international players such as Lakshmipathy Balaji, Murali Vijay, Dinesh Karthik, and Ravichandran Ashwin among others also became a part of franchises to scintillate the tournament.

Chepauk Super Gillies (CSG) and Lyca Kovai Kings (CSG) became the joint champions in 2022, and in the upcoming edition, their endeavours will be to be at their best again and lift the trophy again, this year. In the previous edition, some amazing T20 action was witnessed by fans.

A few players performed exceptionally in the 2022 edition of the league and got appreciated for their efficiency while some players also delivered powerful numbers to their sides but didn’t hog the limelight.

Here are 10 unsung heroes of TNPL

10. Laxmesha Suryaprakash (Nellai Royal Kings)

L Suryaprakash. (Photo Source: Twitter)

L Suryaprakash is serving Nellai Royal Kings (NRK) since 2021. In his first season with NRK, Surya failed to create any impact, scoring only 122 runs in six innings of seven matches at a strike rate of 108.92. Under Baba Indrajith, NRK made it to the playoffs for the first time in the 2022 edition and their best performers with the bat were Sanjay Yadav and Baba Aparajith.

Yadav, who scored 452 runs in nine matches at a strike rate of 186.77, finished as the leading run-scorer in the tournament. While Aparajith too grabbed the attention for ending up as the third-highest run-getter in the competition with 396 runs in nine matches at a strike rate of 144.52.

However, another name that reinforced the team regularly with the bat was Suryapraksh. The right-handed batter contributed 232 runs to his side in eight matches at a strike rate of 117.76 and ended up as the sixth-leading run-getter in the competition.

9. Arun Karthik (Nellai Royal Kings)

Arun Karthik. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Arun Karthik is a renowned name in India’s domestic circle. From 2010 to 2013, he also played in the Indian Premier League, serving franchises Delhi Capitals (then Delhi Daredevils) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).

A lot of cricket fans remember him for a match-finishing maximum against Dan Christian on the last delivery of a Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) vs South Australia Redbacks match in the Champions League T20 2011.

In TNPL, he is an experienced name as the veteran has played a lot of cricket. Back in the 2016 and 2017 editions, he served Albert TUTI Patriots. From 2018-2022, he was a part of Siechem Madurai Panthers. This season, the wicketkeeper batter will don the Nellai Royal Kings (NRK) colours.

Siechem Madurai Panthers made it to the playoffs in 2022 and ended up in the fourth position. In Panthers’ decent journey, Karthik ended as the fifth-leading run-scorer in the competition with 293 runs in eight matches at a strike rate of 127.39.

8. NS Harish (Nellai Royal Kings)

NS Harish. (Photo Source: Twitter)

NS Harish is an integral part of Nellai Royal Kings (NRK). In 2021, Baba Aparajith and V Athisayaraj Davidson became the leading wicket-takers for the team with nine wickets respectively. Supporting both bowlers, NS Harish also performed superbly as the left-arm spinner took six wickets at a thrifty economy of 6.00.

In 2022, Harish grabbed eyeballs for his disciplined bowling again. Bagging nine wickets in nine matches at an economy of 7.31, he ended up as a joint-leading wicket-taker for the side with the medium pacer K Easwaran, who also picked up nine wickets. In match 10, he claimed figures of 3/30 and powered his team to clinch a 26-run win over Siechem Madurai Panthers (SMP).

Riding on his decent bowling displays in the round-robin stage, Royal Kings succeeded in playing quality cricket and also topped the table with six victories and a loss in seven matches.

7. K Easwaran (Ba11sy Trichy)

K Easwaran. (Photo Source: Twitter)

K Easwaran will be seen bolstering Ba11sy Trichy’s bowling attack this year. In 2022, Easwaran was one of the essential parts of the Nellai Royal Kings (NRK) as he was leading their pace attack with Sri Neeranjan and V Athisayraj Davidson. The Tirunelveli-based franchise ended their journey in the playoffs in 2022 and during their campaign, Easwaran played a vital role with the ball.

In six outings, Easwaran grabbed nine wickets in six innings of six matches at an economy of 7.72. His best performance came against iDream Tiruppur Tamizhans (ITT) in the 14th match of the competition, when he chipped in with 3/11 bowling figures. The pacer became a leading wicket-taker for his side, along with NS Harish and V Athisayaraj Davidson.

This year, he HAS joined Trichy, and noting his efficiency for NRK, his new team will expect him to deliver quality performances to help them lift the trophy for the first time in the history of the league.

6. R Sai Kishore (iDream Tirrupur Tamizhans)

R Sai Kishore. (Photo Source: Twitter)

R Sai Kishore is a renowned name in India’s domestic cricket. Playing for Tamil Nadu, the left-arm spinner has picked up 57 wickets in 49 matches at an economy of 5.48 in the T20 format. The 26-year-old is also a part of Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Back in 2022, he got five games from the Hardik Pandya-led team, in which he took six wickets at an economy of 7.56. Talking about his journey in the TNPL, the youngster was in Chepauk Super Gillies (CSG) in 2021 and 2022. In CSG’s third title victory in 2021, Kishore ended up as the second-leading wicket-taker in the tournament, scalping 12 wickets in seven games at an economy of 5.85.

CSG became the joint champions with Lyca Kovai Kings (LKK) in 2022. This time as well, Kishore did his job excellently, taking 11 wickets in six innings of six matches at an economy of 6.04. 

5. Shahrukh Khan (Lyca Kovai Kings)

Shahrukh Khan. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Shahrukh Khan is a famous personality among ardent cricket supporters. The right-handed batter is a key player for Tamil Nadu. In his domestic career, he has racked up 865 runs in 65 innings of 78 T20s at a strike rate of 132.87. Since 2021, he is also a part of the Punjab Kings (PBKS) squad in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Playing three seasons for PBKS, the 28-year-old has amassed 426 runs in 33 matches at a strike rate of 134.81. In TNPL, he made his maiden appearance in 2017. Since 2018, Shahrukh is a part of Lyca Kovai Kings (LKK). Donning LKK colours, he looked effective with his bat and became the fourth-leading run-scorer in the tournament, accumulating 325 runs in nine matches at a magnificent strike rate of 141.30.

In 2021, the LKK team management appointed Shahrukh the captain of the team and under him, Kovai Kings played aggressive cricket in the 2022 season and became the joint champions with Chepauk Super Gillies (CSG), who are the most successful side in the league with four trophies.

4. Sonu Yadav (Nellai Royal Kings)

Sonu Yadav. (Photo Source: Twitter)

The 23-year-old Sonu Yadav has played only a few games in domestic cricket but at the 2023 IPL auction, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) picked him up for INR 20 lakhs. Yadav’s performance in TNPL played a crucial role in his selection in RCB. In CSG’s title wins in 2021 and 2022, he made crucial contributions with both bat and ball.

The youngster took nine wickets in 10 matches in the 2021 edition and helped his team lift the trophy. In the final match of the tournament, Gillies beat Ruby Trichy Warriors by eight runs and he became the leading wicket-taker for his team with figures of 2/32 in four overs.

In the next season, Gillies shared the trophy with Lyca Kovai Kings (LKK) and in this major achievement, Sonu again looked confident. Notching up 107 runs in six innings of nine matches at a fine strike rate of 152.85, he reinforced the batting department of the team.

While with the ball, he clinched 10 wickets in nine innings at a frugal economy of 7.77. After serving CSG for a couple of seasons, Yadav will now serve Nellai Royal Kings (NRK) in the upcoming season.

3. Sanjay Yadav (Chepauk Super Gillies)

Sanjay Yadav. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Sanjay Yadav is an important part of Tamil Nadu in the domestic circle. The 28-year-old batter has racked up 533 runs and 19 wickets for Tamil Nadu in 33 T20 contests. Witnessing his capability in domestic cricket, Mumbai Indians (MI) invested INR 50 lakhs in Sanjay at the 2022 auction.

In TNPL, Sanjay is a star player as he has proved his potential with his bat several times. In 2019, he concluded his season as the second-leading run-getter for VB Kanchi Veerans, scoring 241 runs with two half-centuries in seven innings of eight matches at a decent strike rate of 136.15

His best performance came in the previous edition of the league when he smashed 452 runs in nine matches at a jaw-dropping strike rate of 186.177. With these numbers, he also ended up as the highest run-scorer in the tournament.

2. Baba Aparajith (Chepauk Super Gillies)

Baba Aparajith. (Photo Source: Twitter)

After serving VB Thiruvallur Veerans and Nellai Royal Kings (NRK) in TNPL, Baba Aparajith will provide his services to Chepauk Super Gillies (CSG) in the upcoming instalment of the TNPL. In 2012, the right-handed batter hit the headlines for his decent batting performances in the U-19 World Cup 2012.

Talking about Aparajith’s performance in TNPL, he started his career in the inaugural season in 2016. In the first two seasons of the league, he became the most-efficient batter for VB Thiruvallur Veerans (VBTV), finishing as the fourth-leading run-scorer in both editions.

In 2022, he looked incredible again and this time, he strengthened Royal Kings with his excellent batting display. Piling up 396 runs with three half-centuries in nine innings of nine matches at a strike rate of 144.52, he ended up as the third-highest-run-scorer in the competition.

1. Suresh Kumar (Lyca Kovai Kings)

Suresh Kumar. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Suresh Kumar broke into TNPL in 2021 when he got a chance to play for Lyca Kovai Kings (LKK) in the fifth edition of the league. In his first season, he failed to leave any impact as he could score only 115 runs in five innings of five matches at a strike rate of 116.16. He smashed a half-century against Dindigul Dragons (DD) in the competition but his overall performance was underwhelming.

In the next season, Suresh exuded confidence with his bat and became the second-highest run-getter in the tournament. Riding on his batting heroics, Kovai Kings made it to the final of the tournament and also clinched their maiden trophy.

Notching up 398 runs with three half-centuries in 10 innings of 10 matches at a strike rate of 157.93, he grabbed the attention. In the round-robin stage, he bolstered LKK with his solid knocks and helped the team to qualify for the playoffs.