Team that adapts better will win, says Dragons skipper Ashwin

"For me, the team’s performance comes first. Personal performance is not the yardstick for me, that is not why I am playing in the tournament. It is about the development of the team. Personally, I am glad about how the ball has been coming out of my hand. Also, I am working a lot on my batting in the nets," said the 31-year-old.

With Dindigul getting ready to host its first match in the tournament this year, Ashwin played down any talk of making drastic changes in strategy. "The venue is different, but I don’t think it makes much of a difference in T20s. We are all professional players, and we know how to adapt to different conditions. In the end, the team that adapts better to the situation will gain the upperhand," added the ace spinner.

Meanwhile, after earning a dramatic win in the Super Over against Karaikudi Kaalai in its previous match, Kovai Kings captain, Abhinav Mukund expressed satisfaction at beginning the new season with a win. "It is always a good feeling to begin with a win. Although we won the match in the Super Over, I thought we played well. The opposition fielded and bowled better in the later stages. We won because we held our nerves. We know where we need to improve and we will," said Abhinav.

The India opener was lavish in his praise of left-arm pacer T Natarajan for bowling his team to victory. "It is a pleasure to have Natarajan in our side. He has been a tremendous performer in the TNPL over the years. Unfortunately, he has been facing a few injury concerns. So it was heartening to see him bowl with good pace and accuracy in the first game," added the 28-year-old.

Abhinav was hopeful that his team's key batsman M Shahrukh Khan will recover in time for the match against Dragons. "We are taking all precautionary measures. He has undergone MRI and everything seems to be fine. He should be fit for this game."