Confidence. That is what Madurai Panthers skipper Anirudh Sita Ram and coach KB Arun Karthik are exuding ahead of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) that begins on August 4 in Dindigul. Arun, who has played for Madurai in the past and has been part of the title-winning team, will be donning the role as a coach this season. “We have a good team that has the right amount of experience and youth in its ranks. We have a bunch of youngsters who have done well at the U19 level and experienced players like Gurjapneet Singh, NS Chaturved, M Karthik, G Periyaswamy. We have KB (Arun Karthik) as a coach who knows the team’s brand of cricket. So we are confident of a good show,” said Anirudh.
Madurai team also has a new owner, Palani Gurusamy, who has been a cricket aficionado, admiring the likes of Viv Richards and Kapil Dev. He launched the team jersey on Saturday in the presence of TJ Srinivasaraj, president, Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA). “I did not have any particular team in mind. I got to know about Madurai’s availability for purchasing. Plus, my hometown is near Madurai. So, it suited my thoughts well. We immediately jumped into discussion and then struck a deal,” said Palani, adding he may also invest in a kabaddi team in the near future.
“A lot of foreign companies are watching (IPL and the Indian state leagues) now. The TNPL has been there for 10 years. I think this is the first state domestic league started by TNCA. It’s well established. Other leagues, in other states are just starting now. But Tamil Nadu laid the foundation very well and now it’s been steady. We are confident that this league is going to be stronger in the coming years,” he said, insisting that his team will also do well financially.
The TNPL will be played at Natham and Chepauk. The second leg of the league and playoffs will be played in Chennai. “It’s good that we will be playing in only two grounds. So now we can plan better. The plan is to take one match at a time and then capatalise on the momentum. We have some good all-rounders and Shoaib (Mohammed Khan, batter) will have a big role to play. We have variety in our attack and some quality bowlers who can bowl in the powerplay and death like Gurjapneet and Periyasamy. But, we need to put runs on the board and in the next few days we will work on fixing the top order,” shared Anirudh.
CSK ace bowler Gurjapneet is excited to play the TNPL and wants to give his best shot in the tournament that is dear to him as it served as a platform for him to play IPL. “We have a good side and certainly we will go all out to bag the trophy. Our batting and bowling both look very strong. We have a set of few senior players and the youngsters must match up nicely with them. They should also get a proper chance to play freely,” said Gurjapneet.
TNPL is good preparation for the IPL. And if one looks at the trend in the Indian team, the management prefers all-rounders. “I am trying to improve as a batter with every outing. Batting is now important for every bowler, like you can just add a run; it’s a bit for a team and it’s very good, you will get X factor. So that’s what I have been practising for the last two years, and I hope this year I will do well for my team,” said Gurjapneet.
