CHENNAI: The preparations are on in full swing to stage the fifth edition of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) in the city. All the matches will be played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai from July 19 to August 15.
Teams have had practice sessions in turns after undergoing the mandatory quarantine period. While the players are confident of putting on a good show in the T20 league, the one area of concern is regarding how the pitches at Chepauk will handle the hectic schedule. There will be a total of 32 matches played in less than a month and the challenge will be to ensure that the square doesn’t take too much wear and tear.
The Chepauk stadium has eight strips, which are completely covered by grass at the moment.
“The wickets are green at the moment. With the city experiencing showers in the last couple of days, the grass-texture is good and the outfield will be lush green when the matches begin,” said a source in charge of preparing the wickets.
Another source said that four pitches will be used for the duration of the league. At least for the initial phase of the tournament, the pitches should have plenty of runs on offer for the batsmen.
Vijay out due to personal reasons
In a big blow for Ruby Trichy Warriors ahead of TNPL-5, senior players Murali Vijay and Anirudha Srikanth have pulled out of the tournament citing personal reasons. Vijay hasn’t played any competitive cricket since representing CSK in IPL 2020. He did not take part in the last domestic season for TN.