CHENNAI: From the flamboyant Salim Durani to the elegant Rahul Dravid, many established cricketers have taken part in limited-over tournaments held in Chennai. ‘Sixer’ Durani used to work in Chennai and played in the Sport and Pastime Trophy, while Dravid represented Malleswaram Gymkhana Club in the YSCA Trophy. Also, legends like Sunil Gavaskar and GR Viswanath have taken part in the Buchi Babu Trophy.
The BCCI had no objection to these players’ participation. But things are not the same anymore, and the BCCI has banned outstation players from taking part in the Tamil Nadu Premier League, with the reason being to protect its ‘property’, the Indian Premier League. Despite several letters written by the state association explaining the position and eligibility of players, the Indian board has stood by its stand, quoting the resolution passed in the working committee meeting held last year, where the TNCA was barred from fielding outstation players in its league.
However, as a last-ditch effort, TNCA will argue its case at the SGM. “We’ll argue our case one last time at the special general meeting. It’s not fair to not even allow the likes of Piyush Chawla and Varun Aaron, who are employed in the city and have been playing in the league for several years,” said a prominent member of TNCA.
But sources in the BCCI state that the board will not budge, as it is keen to protect the IPL from any invasion. “Since 2016, we’ve been saying we’ll not allow any of the leagues to have outstation players. If we allow them to play, it could become a mini-IPL in the long run. We’re keen to protect our property,” said a source who did not want to be named.
But the committee that runs the TNPL is not overtly worried about the impact. “If we get outstation players, it’ll add a new dimension to the league, and will be more competitive. Even otherwise, if you see last year, the league went on well.
“Guys like T Natarajan and N Jagadeesan made an impact. The league, in a way, helped the state team win two national titles. Plus, if you saw the IPL this year, Washington Sundar did well. So there are a lot of positives, and we’re confident that TNPL 2 will be bigger in every aspect,” said a member of the TNPL.
Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan, coach of Madurai Super Giants — who was also part of the Karnataka Premier League with Hubli Tigers in the past — offers a different perspective. “If we get outstation players, it’ll be good. If not, the TNPL will not suffer. We have a much better team this year, and are confident of a good show. Having been part of the Karnataka league as coach, I can vouch that TNPL is much better and highly competitive.”
ashok.v@newindianexpress.com