Get ready for another exhilarating season of cricket as the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) returns for its 2024 edition, kicking off on Friday, July 5. Just like last year, eight dynamic teams will battle it out for the coveted TNPL trophy, promising fans a summer filled with high-octane action, nail-biting finishes, and exceptional cricketing talent.

History of TNPL

The TNPL, established in 2016, has rapidly grown into one of India’s premier T20 leagues. It has provided a platform for local talent to shine and has been instrumental in discovering future stars for Indian cricket. Over the years, the league has seen fierce competition, with teams like Chepauk Super Gillies and Lyca Kovai Kings emerging as dominant forces.

See Also: T20 World Cup winning team members to be honored in Maharashtra State Assembly

Teams and Players to watch

The 2024 edition features eight teams, each packed with talent and ready to make their mark. Key players to watch include Sai Sudharsan, Shahrukh Khan, Baba Aparajith, N Jagadeesan, Ravichandran Ashwin, Varun Chakravarthy, Sandeep Warrier, Vijay Shankar, T Natarajan, Sai Kishore, and Baba Indrajith. These stars are expected to light up the tournament with their skills and performances.

Kickoff Match: Lyca Kovai Kings vs. Chepauk Super Gillies

The tournament will kick off with a thrilling match between the defending champions Lyca Kovai Kings and the formidable Chepauk Super Gillies at the SCF Cricket Ground in Salem. This opening clash promises to set the tone for the rest of the tournament, with key players from both sides looking to make a strong start.

Venue Details

SCF Cricket Ground, Salem

A picturesque venue known for its lively atmosphere and excellent pitch conditions, making it a favorite among players and fans alike.

SBR College Cricket Ground, Coimbatore

A relatively new venue but quickly gaining a reputation for high-scoring games and passionate local support.

Indian Cement Company Ground, Tirunelveli

A historic ground that has hosted numerous memorable matches, known for its challenging pitch and vibrant crowd.

NPR College Ground, Dindigul

Renowned for its excellent facilities and a track that offers something for both batsmen and bowlers.

MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

One of India’s iconic cricket stadiums, famous for its electric atmosphere and being a fortress for the home teams.

Tournament format

The TNPL 2024 will follow a single round-robin format, with each team facing every other team once. This ensures a total of 28 league stage matches, keeping fans on the edge of their seats. The top four teams will then progress to the playoffs, adopting a format similar to the IPL:

Qualifier 1

The top two teams face off, with the winner earning a direct ticket to the Final.

Eliminator

The third and fourth-placed teams battle it out, with the winner moving on to play the loser of Qualifier 1 in Qualifier 2.

Qualifier 2

The winner of the Eliminator takes on the loser of Qualifier 1, with the victor advancing to the Final.

Final

The ultimate showdown where the winners of Qualifier 1 and Qualifier 2 compete for the TNPL 2024 title.

Schedule and Key dates

The league stage runs from July 5 to July 16, across five venues. The Quarter Finals and Eliminator will be played on July 30 and 31 in Dindigul, while the final stages, including Quarter Final 2 and the grand finale, will be hosted at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on August 2 and 4.

Double headers

Seven double-headers are scheduled throughout the league stage, with afternoon matches starting at 3:15 pm IST and evening encounters commencing at 7:15 pm IST. This format not only maximizes viewership but also adds to the excitement and intensity of the competition.

Introduction of DRS

For the first time in TNPL history, umpires will have access to the Decision Review System (DRS) for all matches. However, the DRS cannot be used to overturn no-ball or wide calls, ensuring that the system complements the on-field umpires without undermining their authority.

Broadcast and Live Streaming details

All matches will be streamed live on the FanCode app and website. However, none of the games will be broadcast on TV.

Tamil Nadu Premier League 2024: Full schedule

• Match 1: July 5, Lyca Kovai Kings vs Chepauk Super Gillies, 7:15 pm, Salem
• Match 2: July 6, Dindigul Dragons vs Trichy Grand Cholas, 3:15 pm, Salem
• Match 3: July 6, Salem Spartans vs Siechem Madurai Panthers, 7:15 pm, Salem
• Match 4: July 7, Nellai Royal Kings vs Chepauk Super Gillies, 3:15 pm, Salem
• Match 5: July 7, Lyca Kovai Kings vs IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans, 7:15 pm, Salem
• Match 6: July 8, Dindigul Dragons vs Salem Spartans, 7:15 pm, Salem
• Match 7: July 9, Siechem Madurai Panthers vs Trichy Grand Cholas, 7:15 pm, Salem
• Match 8: July 10, Chepauk Super Gillies vs IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans, 7:15 pm, Salem
• Match 9: July 11, Nellai Royal Kings vs Salem Spartans, 7:15 pm, Salem
• Match 10: July 13, Siechem Madurai Panthers vs IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans, 3:15 pm, Coimbatore
• Match 11: July 13, Lyca Kovai Kings vs Nellai Royal Kings, 7:15 pm, Coimbatore
• Match 12: July 14, Salem Spartans vs Trichy Grand Cholas, 3:15 pm, Coimbatore
• Match 13: July 14, Chepauk Super Gillies vs Dindigul Dragons, 7:15 pm, Coimbatore
• Match 14: July 15, Siechem Madurai Panthers vs Nellai Royal Kings, 7:15 pm, Coimbatore
• Match 15: July 16, Trichy Grand Cholas vs Lyca Kovai Kings, 7:15 pm, Coimbatore
• Match 16: July 17, IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans vs Dindigul Dragons, 7:15 pm, Coimbatore
• Match 17: July 18, Salem Spartans vs Chepauk Super Gillies, 7:15 pm, Coimbatore
• Match 18: July 20, Trichy Grand Cholas vs Nellai Royal Kings, 7:15 pm, Tirunelveli
• Match 19: July 21, Dindigul Dragons vs Lyca Kovai Kings, 3:15 pm, Tirunelveli
• Match 20: July 21, IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans vs Salem Spartans, 7:15 pm, Tirunelveli
• Match 21: July 22, Trichy Grand Cholas vs Chepauk Super Gillies, 7:15 pm, Tirunelveli
• Match 22: July 23, Siechem Madurai Panthers vs Lyca Kovai Kings, 7:15 pm, Tirunelveli
• Match 23: July 24, Nellai Royal Kings vs IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans, 7:15 pm, Tirunelveli
• Match 24: July 26, Dindigul Dragons vs Siechem Madurai Panthers, 7:15 pm, Dindigul
• Match 25: July 27, Salem Spartans vs Lyca Kovai Kings, 3:15 pm, Dindigul
• Match 26: July 27, IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans vs Trichy Grand Cholas, 7:15 pm, Dindigul
• Match 27: July 28, Chepauk Super Gillies vs Siechem Madurai Panthers, 3:15 pm, Dindigul
• Match 28: July 28, Nellai Royal Kings vs Dindigul Dragons, 7:15 pm, Dindigul
• Match 29: July 30, Qualifier 1, 7:15 pm, Dindigul
• Match 30: July 31, Eliminator, 7:15 pm, Dindigul
• Match 31: August 2, Qualifier 2, 7:15 pm, Chennai
• Match 32: August 4, Final, 7:15 pm, Chennai

TNPL 2024: Squads of all 8 teams

Chepauk Super Gillies: Aparajith B, Arunachalam V, Ayyappan B, Narayan Jagadeesan, Jitendra Kumar CH, Lokesh Raj TD, Madankumar S, Pradosh Ranjan Paul, Rahil S Shah, Sibi R, Silambarasan M, Daryl S Ferrario, Periyasamy G, Aswin Christ A, Abhishek Tanwar, Satish R, Shajahan M , Surya B, Santhosh Kumar D, Andre Siddharth C.

Dindigul Dragons: Affan Khader M, Ravichandran Ashwin, Boopathi, Vaishnav Kumar, Diran VP, Indrajith B, Kishore G, Sarath Kumar C, Shivam Singh, Subodh Kumar Bhati, Varun CV, Vignesh P, Vimal Khumar R, Sandeep Warrier, Rocky B, Rohan Raju, Om Nithin K, Ilaiyaraja P, Ashik K.

IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans: Ajith Ram S, Anirudh Sita Ram, Buvaneshwaran P, Ganesh S, Karuppusamy A, Manikandan S, Mohammed Ali S, Radhakrishnan S, Tushar Raheja, Vijay Shankar, Sai Kishore R, Thangarasu Natarajan, Maan K Bafna, Anovankar, Ram Kumar, Jeevanantham, Amit Sathvik, Karthik Saran, Rohit R, Madhivanan M

Lyca Kovai Kings: Atheeq ur Rahman MA, Divakar R, Gowtham Thamarai Kannan K, Hemcharan P, Jhathavedh Subramanyan, Mohammed M, Mugilesh U, Om Prakash KM, Ram Arvindh R, Sachin B, Sai Sudharsan B, Shahrukh Khan M, Siddharth M, Sujay S, Suresh Kumar J, Vidyuth P, Yudheeswaran V, Manish GR, Vignesh GV, Meeran Rahil Rahman.

Nellai Royal Kings: Ajithesh G, Arun Karthik KB, Arun Kumar SJ, Emmanuel Cheriyan B, Harish NS, Kabilan N, Lakshay Jain S, Mohan Prasath S, Nidhish S Rajagopal, Rithik Eswaran S, Rohan J, Sonu Yadav R, Sugendhiran P, Suryaprakash L, Mokit Hariharan .S, Gohulmoorthi S, Gowtham V, Abhilash AV, Kirubakaran R, Silambarasan R.

Salem Spartans: Abhishiek S, Ganesh Moorthi M, Guru Sayee S, Jaganath Sinivas RS, Kavin R, Mohammed Adnan Khan, Sachin Rathi, Selvakumaran N, Sunny Sandhu, Vivek R, Harish Kumar S, Aushiq Srinivas R, Robin Singh Bist, Shijit Chandran P, Vishal Vaidhya K, Poiyamozhi M, Rajan R, Yazh Arun Mozhi, Tarun Kumar V, Sudhan Sanjeevi Kandepan.

Siechem Madurai Panthers: Aditya V, Ajay K Krishnan, Ashwin M, Ayush M, Gurjapneet Singh, Hari Nishaanth C, Kousik J, Lokeshwar S, Rahul D, Saravanan P, Sri Abisek AS, Swapnil K Singh, Washington Sundar MS, Chatruvedh NS, Sasidev. U, Alexander R, Kiran Akash, Ajay Chetan J, Karthik Manikandan VS, Akram Khan M.

Trichy Grand Cholas (Ba11sy Trichy): Anthony Das, Adithyaraj Davidson, Eswaran K, Francis Rokins, Ganga Sridhar Raju V, Godson G, Jafar Jamal, Mani Bharathi K, Raj Kumar K, Raj Kumar R, Vinod SP, Saravanakumar P, Vignesh K, Sanjay Yadav R, Nirmal Kumar P, Shyam Sundar, Mohammed Ashik, Arjun P Murthy, Arya Yohan Menon, Rajin J.

Much before Rinku Singh had pulled off an electrifying heist in Ahmedabad with his five back to back sixes to direct Kolkata Knight Riders to a three-wicket win in IPL 2023 against Gujarat Titans, Twitter had gone swirling watching an uncommon thump from Vijay Shankar which reignited recollections from 2019 World Cup. 

Shankar had hit a dazzling unbeaten thump of 63 that directed GT to their very first 200 or more aggregate. Ravi Shastri, a former India coach, also made a powerful “World Cup selection” comment about the all-rounder after the injury.

Vijay Shankar had made his case for a spot in the 2019 World Cup team four years ago, following an impressive run in limited-overs play

This eventually led to a huge controversy, as the much-favored Ambati Rayudu was dropped from consideration. Shankar’s World Cup experience and international career both ended in disappointment.

The all-rounder, on the other hand, is back with three impressive runs. Shankar stunned everyone on Sunday with his unbeaten 63 off just 24 balls, which included five sixes and four boundaries, after scoring 56 runs in the first two innings of IPL 2023.

After the innings, Shastri, who was the lead trainer during that 2019 World Cup competition, reviewed Shankar’s choice and saw a closeness in form.

“The fact that Vijay was picked for the World Cup is because he had this kind of talent. And I am glad that he has gone back, worked hard, and not given up. You know he has had some tough times, he has had an operation as well, but he has come back strong,” .

Shastri said while speaking on Star Sports

“Beautiful hitting today because he is a clean striker of the ball, he has got a wide range of shots and, because of his reach and height, he can hit the ball a long, long way. Great to see. This is the strength of the Gujarat Titans. They have got some power hitters in the back end of the innings. So if they get off to a good start then they are a very dangerous side at the back end of the innings,”

he added.

Even though Shankar is unlikely to play for India again, a miraculous turn of events in IPL 2023 could see him do so.

In last year’s IPL, many well-known players underperformed. Marquee names like Rohit Sharma, Kane Williamson and Pollard had dreadful seasons. The emerging talents from IPL 2021- Venkatesh Iyer and Varun Chakravarthy were gloomy for KKR. Some laudable impactful names like Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Siraj also looked off-colour.

But before IPL 2023, most of these mentioned players look in the top form currently. Already in 2023, these cricketers have thrived in both international and domestic cricket. Hopefully, they’ll be expected to give a blockbuster season for their respective franchises.

Therefore in this list, let’s check out 5 players who flopped last season but currently are in top form.

1. Virat Kohli

Well, King Kohli, for RCB last year had a decent season. At least by his set standards, Virat didn’t even reach 400 runs. Cumulatively, the former RCB skipper scored 341 runs from 16 games at an average of 22.73. Both his average and strike rate (115.99) were the lowest compared to his last six IPL seasons. The only silver lining was his two fifty-plus scores.

However, since the 2022 Asia Cup, this 34-year legend has found his old batting form back. In the 2022 T20 World Cup, Kohli emerged as the highest run-scorer (M-6, R-296, AVG-98.67). Presently in ODIs in 2023, the cricketer is back averaging above fifty (53.37) along with resuming his constant three-digit scores. Truly for RCB, Kohli is expected to exhibit his best like the 2016 season.

Unsurprisingly, in his opening game, the opener also had a ball of a time against MI bowlers. Overall his 82* from 49 balls indeed is a sign that this behemoth might even fetch the IPL 2023’s orange cap.

Mayank Agarwal

Before IPL 2022, Mayank was impressively scoring runs for Punjab. The cricketer in both IPL 2020 and 2021 seasons had amassed 400-plus runs twice. As a reliable top-order batter, Mayank cumulatively averaged almost 40 and was striking at 148. However last year, as the new skipper of PBKS, Mayank had a very ordinary time.

Sadly in his 13 appearances, the 32-year-old scored just 196 runs at an average of 16.33. His batting position was never fixed and often juggled for floaters like Jonny Bairstow and Bhanuka Rajapaksa. Consequently, the franchise released him before the 2023 auction. Presently SRH has signed Mayank for INR 8.25 Crore.

However post his PBKS snub, this Karnataka cricketer has again started to stack oodles of runs. In the 2022-23 Ranji season, Mayank emerged as the tournament’s highest run-getter. By averaging 82.50, Agarwal scored 990 runs in his 13 innings. That’s why for Hyderabad, Mayank will look to bat with his enriching batting form.

Overall, the orange army’s explosive batting order will easily allow this cricketer to play his natural game. Maybe in the 2023 season, Mayank might also find SRH as his new IPL home.

Mohammed Siraj

This pacer for RCB hasn’t had a breakthrough IPL season since 2020. In IPL 2021, Siraj was reasonably good scalping 11 wickets at an economy of 6.78. However last year, the 29-year-old had an even more severe downfall. From his 15 appearances, Siraj picked just 9 wickets at a higher economy of 10.8.

Unfortunately, the bowler in IPL 2022 was found erratic both in power plays and at the death overs. Bitterly, Siraj also exhibited his worst IPL economy rate last year. But currently, before joining IPL 2023, the speedster enjoyed substantial white-ball success for India.

In 2023 ODIs so far, Siraj has been amongst the wickets. In his eight 50-over games, the Hyderabad bowler has profusely scalped 19 wickets. Hence certainly for the Bangalore franchise, Siraj’s white-ball bowling form will be a boon. Overall now in the absence of Reece Topley and Josh Hazlewood, Siraj will have to bring his best A game for the red army.

Ravindra Jadeja

Undoubtedly in IPL 2021, Jadeja was the most valuable player for CSK. To help his franchise win the trophy, the all-rounder produced a blockbuster season. From his bat, Jadeja scored 227 runs at an average of 75 and a strike rate of 145. Even with his bowling, the spinner scalped 13 wickets from 16 games. As result, the cricketer also then got signed for INR 16 Crore for IPL 2022.

But agonizingly, Jadeja came nowhere close to his lofty IPL salary. In IPL 2022, southpaw had a very disappointing season. With his bat, Jadeja just produced 166 runs at an average of 19.33 having a strike rate of 118.37. His wickets tally also plummeted to 5 scalps. In between, the abrupt captaincy transfer to MS Dhoni also became an unpleasant experience.

However as of now, the 33-year-old is enjoying and exhibiting his best cricket. After his injury comeback, Jadeja had a successful BGT red-ball series. Even in ODIs against Australia, his 45* run knock was a match-winning cause. Hence this year for CSK, the southpaw will be expected to thrive like the 2021 season.

Vijay Shankar

In the mega auction of IPL 2022, Vijay Shankar was signed for INR 1.4 Crore by the GT. The franchise initially also dwelled this all-rounder in their playing XI. But the cricketer just played 4 matches for Gujarat. Sadly in those appearances, Vijay Shankar didn’t create any major impact. Comprehensively in the IPL, this cricketer is yet to produce his first breakthrough season.

However after IPL 2022, the 32-year-old firstly went for his shoulder surgery. Thankfully after his surgery, Shankar has found his batting form back. Recently in the 2022-23 Ranji season, the batter stacked runs for Tamil Nadu. Shankar smashed three centuries, especially against Maharashtra and Mumbai. Therefore with runs under his belt, Shankar is expected to prosper for GT.

Optimistically, the franchise again had him picked for their opening game against CSK. In response, Shankar decently played a cameo of 27 runs thus helping Gujarat fetch their first win. Overall in IPL 2023, Shankar can be a useful cricketer for GT to defend their title.