IPL 2020 to have plenty of TN presence

Apart from left-arm spinners R Sai Kishore (Chennai Super Kings) and Manimaran Siddharth (Kolkata Knight Riders), every member in the 12-man group has prior IPL experience. However, CSK wicketkeeper-batsman Narayan Jagadeesan and Sunrisers Hyderabad all-rounder Sanjay Yadav are yet to break into the playing eleven.

Senior statesmen such as Murali Vijay (Super Kings), Dinesh Karthik (Knight Riders), Vijay Shankar (Sunrisers) and Ravichandran Ashwin (Delhi Capitals) as well as the quartet of Thangarasu Natarajan (Sunrisers), Varun Chakaravarthy (Knight Riders), Washington Sundar (Royal Challengers Bangalore) and Murugan Ashwin (Kings XI Punjab) make up the rest of the IPL-bound Tamil Nadu contingent.

Delighted with the representation in the premier T20 competition, Tamil Nadu head coach D Vasu told DT Next: “It is great news and I am happy that 12 players from the state will be a part of IPL. Their participation augurs well for TN cricket. For the next few years, the shorter formats of the game will be taken care of by these guys.”

“I think that the players will focus more on T20s in the coming years. The IPL stints will be useful, especially for the youngsters,” he added. Moved out of India due to the coronavirus pandemic, IPL 2020 will be hosted across three venues – Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah – in UAE, where the pitches are likely to assist spinners.

Unsurprisingly, Vasu said that the slow bowlers would be the ones to watch out for in the upcoming season, beginning September 19. “I expect the spinners, particularly Sai Kishore and Siddharth, to do well. Varun was out of cricket for months because of a long-term injury. If he is at his best, he will be very effective.”

All teams barring defending champion Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals have Tamil Nadu players. While Chennai, Kolkata and Hyderabad possess three members apiece, Delhi, Punjab and Bangalore own one each. With the exception of 12 players, four coaches from the state will be involved in the league.

Robin Singh (Batting coach - Mumbai), Sridharan Sriram (Batting and spin bowling coach - Bangalore), Malolan Rangarajan (Head of scouting and fielding coach - Bangalore) and Lakshmipathy Balaji (Bowling coach - Chennai) are key components of their respective franchises. As 16 members and local side Super Kings will participate in the T20 carnival, IPL 2020 will not be short of Tamil Nadu flavour.