CHENNAI: Madurai Panthers skipper B Anirudh Sita Ram and new head coach KB Arun Karthik are confident of a good show in the Tamil Nadu Premier League that begins on Aug 4 at Dindigul.
Ram believes that the team is well balanced. “We have a bunch of youngsters who have done well at the Under-19 level and experienced players like Gurjapneet Singh, NS Chaturved, M. Karthik, G Periyaswamy. Plus we have KB (Arun Karthik) as a coach who knows the team's brand of cricket. So we are confident of a good show," he said.
The team has a new owner in Palani Gurusamy, a cricket aficionado. He launched the team jersey on Saturday in the presence of TNCA President TJ Srinivasaraj
"I did not have any particular team in mind. I got to know about Madurai's availability for purchase. Plus, my home town is near Madurai. So, it suited my thoughts well. We just immediately jumped into discussion and then we struck a deal with them," Gurusamy said, adding he may also invest in a kabaddi team in the near future.
"A lot of foreign companies are watching now (IPL and the Indian state leagues). The TNPL has been there for 10 years. It means it's well established. And other leagues of other states are just starting now, or some of them have already started. But Tamil Nadu laid the foundation very well and now it's been very steady. We are very confident that this league is going to be stronger and stronger in the coming years," he added.
The first leg of the tournament will be played at the NPR grounds at Natham, Dindigul and the second round will be played at Chepauk here. Ram felt that the team can plan well with these two grounds in mind.
"Its good that we will be playing in only two grounds. The plan is to take one match at a time and then capitalise on the momentum. We have variety in our attack and some quality bowlers who can bowl in the powerplay and death like Gurjapneet and Periyaswamy. All said and done we need to put runs on the board and in the next few days we will work on fixing the top order," the skipper said.
Tamil Nadu’s rising pace talent Gurjapneet Singh is excited to play the TNPL and wants to give his best shot in the tournament. "We have a good side and certainly we will go all out to bag the trophy. Our batting and bowling look very strong.
“Bowling I'd say is a bit decent and batting still young. But we have a set of few senior players and the youngsters must match up nicely with them. The youngsters should also get a proper chance to play freely. So that's what we are planning to see and how it goes," the bowler spoke of the team.
It is domestic leagues like the TNPL that would help players land in IPL sides. The all-rounders are expected to be cynosure of all eyes. It is players’ capability to deliver both with bat and ball that will be closely looked upon. "I am trying to improve as a batter with every outing. Batting has become important for every bowler. So that's what I have been practicing a lot from the last two years.I hope this year I will do well for my team," he signed off.