TNPL 2025: Champions clash early as Dindigul face Kovai; CSG meets Tiruppur on Friday

CHENNAI: Even before the high injected by the thrilling IPL 2025 edition has come down, cricket lovers in the State are in for yet another round of excitement from Thursday, this time the Tamil Nadu Premier League.

The ninth edition of the highly popular event will kick off on June 5, with defending champions Dindigul Dragons facing off against former cup holder Kovai Kings in a repeat of last year’s final.

The Kovai team will bank on Sai Sudharsan, who was named the Emerging Player of the Year in the 2025 IPL, hoping that he will carry the sublime form into the tournament. The 23-year-old was the top scorer in this IPL season with 759 runs in 15 matches, including one century and six fifties. He also contributed 304 runs for Tamil Nadu in the 2024–25 season.

Leading the charge from the other side is Ravichandran Ashwin, India’s second-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket, who led the Dragons to their maiden TNPL title last year, batting at No 3, scoring 252 runs, and taking nine wickets during the campaign.

This will be followed by another mouth-watering clash on Friday, when Chepauk Super Gillies, the most successful team in the league by a distance, will play against Idream Tiruppur Tamizhans.

Coached by Avinash Khandelwal, four-time champions CSG has the pedigree and team to add a fifth silverware to its trophy cabinet this year.

After failing to qualify for the playoffs in 2023, CSG bounced back to finish third in the league phase last year. In the playoff that went down to the wire, the team narrowly lost to the eventual champions with only one ball left.

The Chennai team had defeated the Tiruppur outfit during last year’s league phase, with Pradosh Ranjan Paul playing a key role with the bat. Pradosh has since switched sides in the auction and will now take on his former team in Friday’s clash.

A major signing for CSG this season is Vijay Shankar, who returns to the franchise for the first time since 2019. The seasoned batter overcame a groin injury to feature for Tamil Nadu in the 2024–25 Ranji Trophy, scoring 476 runs overall. He was also picked by Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, where he featured in six matches and struck a 69 against Delhi Capitals.

One batter who has been consistently impressive season after season is Narayan Jagadeesan. He scored a century against Saurashtra late last year and tallied 674 runs in the 2024–25 Ranji campaign. His form will be crucial to CSG’s playoff ambitions.

On the other side, CSG will need to be wary of former players Pradosh Ranjan Paul, who scored 484 runs for Tamil Nadu in the Ranji season, and Sai Kishore, both of whom could prove tricky opponents.

Keep an eye on 18-year-old Andre Siddarth, who made his Ranji debut last season and finished as the second-highest run-scorer. He was also part of the CSK squad in the IPL and was picked by former champions LYCA Kovai Kings for Rs 8.4 lakh in the auction earlier this year.

The Dragons retained last season’s highest run-scorer, Shivam Singh, who scored 364 runs in 10 matches at an average of 45.50, including a century (106 not out). They will be a tricky side to face, especially with the presence of Varun Chakravarthy, fresh from his stint with Kolkata Knight Riders and a Champions Trophy win with India. The team has also retained experienced bowler Sandeep Warrier and batter Baba Indrajith.

We want to play a good brand of cricket: Jagadeesan

Chepauk Super Gillies (CSG) are eyeing yet another trophy, and with fresh faces at the helm, the team is feeling optimistic about achieving positive results as their season gets underway on Friday. The franchise has been putting in the hard yards ahead of the new campaign, with two phases of training camps involving the entire squad. The camps spanned over a month, allowing ample time for preparation. "It's been good. There are a lot of new faces since we came out of a fresh auction, and there's a lot of excitement heading into the new season. "The training has gone very well. We had two phases of camps, plenty of time to prepare, and I think we’ve done a good job," Narayan Jagadeesan told DT Next. Jagadeesan, alongside new recruit Vijay Shankar – who was picked up for Rs 18 lakh in the auction – played a key role in Tamil Nadu’s Ranji Trophy quarter-final run earlier this year. Jagadeesan expressed his enthusiasm about reuniting with Vijay at CSG. "It definitely feels good to have top players by your side. We’ve been playing cricket together for about 10 years now, so it’s nice to have someone who understands you. He brings a lot of experience, and that could really help us," he added. Jagadeesan also emphasised that the franchise is not purely results-driven, but focused on the brand of cricket CSG play and the discipline they bring to the game.