The Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) is a men's Twenty20 (T20) cricket league that is annually held in the state of Tamil Nadu in India and contested by eight city-based franchise teams. The league was formed in 2016 by the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA).[3][4] It is usually played during post-summer season from June to August of every year. Shriram Group is the current title sponsor of the tournament.[5]
![]() Official logo of the TNPL | |
Countries | India |
---|---|
Administrator | TNCA |
Format | Twenty20 |
First edition | 2016 |
Latest edition | 2024 |
Next edition | 2025 |
Tournament format | Round Robin format with Group System and Playoffs |
Number of teams | 8 |
Current champion | Dindigul Dragons (1st title) |
Most successful | Chepauk Super Gillies (4 titles) |
Most runs | N Jagadeesan (2225)[1] |
Most wickets | R Sai Kishore (75)[2] |
TV | Star Sports (TV) Fancode (Internet) |
Website | tnpl |
![]() |
As of 2023, the title is held by the Coimbatore team Lyca Kovai Kings. Over the seven seasons of the league,
History
editBackground
editIn 2016, the TNPL was launched at the time when Chennai Super Kings, the Tamil Nadu franchise playing Indian Premier League (IPL), was facing a two-year suspension from the league.[6][7] The league was aimed to make up for the absence of high-profile matches in Chennai in the year and to expose talented players from districts.[8][9] It was conceived by former BCCI president and then TNCA president N. Srinivasan.[6][9][10]
Franchise rights
editOn 1 May 2016, TNCA invited bidders for the eight franchise rights.[11][12] A total of 17 bidders participated in the bidding process and current members of TNCA were not allowed to participate.[6] The base price set for each franchise was ₹1.25 crore (US$150,000) for a period of 10 years. The franchise rights was sold for ₹33.51 crore (US$4.0 million) and the highest bidder chose Salem for ₹5.21 crore (US$620,000).[13][6]
Owner | Franchise | Price |
---|---|---|
Vivo South Chennai distributor Selvakumar | Salem Spartans | ₹5.21 crore (US$620,000) |
Metronation Chennai | Chepauk Super Gillies | ₹5.13 crore (US$610,000) |
Lyca Productions | Lyca Kovai Kings | ₹5.01 crore (US$600,000) |
Kothari (Madras) Ltd. | Madurai Panthers | ₹4.001 crore (US$480,000) |
(Need to be Updated) | Trichy Grand Cholas | ₹3.69 crore (US$440,000) |
Crown Forts Ltd. | Nellai Royal Kings | ₹3.48 crore (US$420,000) |
Take Solutions Ltd | Dindigul Dragons | ₹3.42 crore (US$410,000) |
I Dream cinemas | iDream Tiruppur Tamizhans | ₹3.3 crore (US$400,000) |
Foundation
editOn 16 August 2016, the first edition was inaugurated by MS Dhoni in Chennai.[9][14] The first edition featured international cricketers including Ravichandran Ashwin, Murali Vijay, Dinesh Karthik and Lakshmipathy Balaji. Former cricketers Robin Singh and Michael Bevan were among the coaches. Matthew Hayden was the brand ambassador of the league. No players representing other state associations participated in the inaugural season as they were not given permission at the time by the BCCI.[9][15][16] Star Sports were the TV broadcasters.[9] The first season was played from 24 August to 18 September.[17]
Organisation
editTournament format
editThe eight teams play against each other in the league phase in round-robin format. Teams will get two points for each win. At the end of the league stage, the top four teams in the points table will qualify for the playoffs. Much like the IPL, the playoffs consist of three matches before the final: one eliminator and two qualifiers. The top two teams from the league phase will play against each other in the Qualifier 1, with the winner going straight to the final and the loser getting another chance to qualify for the final by playing the Qualifier 2. Meanwhile, the third and fourth-place teams from the league phase play against each other in an eliminator match and the winner from that match will advance to play the Qualifier 2. The winner of this match will head to the final to meet the winner of Qualifier 1, where the winner will be crowned champions.
Player acquisition and salaries
editTeams can acquire a maximum and minimum players of 22 and 16 respectively.[18] They are allowed to retain three players each from last season.[19] Player draft takes place before every season and the players are placed in four categories on the basis of their experience.[18][20]
Category | Description | Salary |
---|---|---|
A | Players with international cricket experience | ₹6 lakh |
B1-B2 | First-class cricketers who have played at least 20 TNPL matches | ₹2−3 lakh |
C | Others | ₹50,000−1 lakh |
The salary cap for the most experienced players (Category A) was ₹5 lakh (US$6,000) in 2016.[13] In 2020, it was ₹6 lakh (US$7,200).[20]
Until 2020, BCCI prevented TNCA from allowing outstation players to participate in the league.[15][16][9] A maximum of 2 outstation players can be in a team given that they are not currently in any IPL team. A separate draft for outstation players happened after 2020 IPL season for TNPL season 5.[21]
Sponsorship and revenues
editThe title sponsor from the inception was India Cements Limited whose term ended in 2019. In the first edition, TNCA had earned a total of ₹33.51 crore in franchise rights. This was the highest among all the local T20 leagues in India.[6] The business model followed by TNPL is similar to the IPL's model.[22] For the first five years, central rights (broadcast fees and sponsorship fees) will be shared 80 per cent among the eight franchises with the rest going to the administrator TNCA.[13] This excludes the match staging costs. As much as 65 per cent will be divided equally between the franchises with the rest 15 per cent given to the franchises as per their standing in the league.[13] Gate collections are not shared with the franchises.[22] To attract sponsors, owners were advised to name their teams after districts in the state.[11]
In 2019, some of the franchises faced financial difficulties and asked TNCA to bring changes to the revenue-sharing model of the league.[22]
Prize money
editThe prize money split between the teams are:[6][23]
- Champions – ₹1 crore (US$120,000)
- Runner up – ₹60 lakh (US$72,000)
- Two semi-finalists – ₹40 lakh (US$48,000) each
- Remaining participants – ₹25 lakh (US$30,000)
Teams
editCurrent teams
editEight franchises are competing in the league.[24] The franchises are named after a city it is representing in the state.[11][6] Each team can have a maximum of 22 players that includes two outstation players.[18][21]
Team | City | Captain | Coach | Owner |
---|---|---|---|---|
Salem Spartans | Salem | Kaushik Gandhi | Robin Bist | Vivo Chennai south distributor Selvakumar M |
Chepauk Super Gillies | Chennai | Baba Aparajith | - | Metronation Chennai Television Private Limited - Dailythanthi |
Lyca Kovai Kings | Coimbatore | Shahrukh Khan | Sriram Somayajula | Lyca Productions |
Dindigul Dragons | Dindigul | Hari Nishaanth | Subramaniam Badrinath | Take Solutions Ltd |
Trichy Grand Cholas | Tiruchirapalli | Antony Dhas | - | Drumstick Productions Ltd |
Tiruppur Tamizhans | Tiruppur | Mohammed | R. Prasanna | iDream Cinemas and iDream Properties |
Madurai Panthers | Madurai | Arun Karthik | Bharath Reddy | Pooja Damodaran |
Nellai Royal Kings | Tirunelveli | Baba Aparajith | A. G. Guruswamy | Crown Forts Limited |
Defunct teams
editTeam | City | Year | Replaced Team | Replaced City | Year | Replaced Team | Replaced City | Year | Replaced Team | Replaced City | Year |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ruby Kanchi Warriors | Kanchipuram | 2016 | Ruby Trichy Warriors | Tiruchirappalli | 2017-22 | Ba11sy Trichy | Tiruchirappalli | 2023 | Trichy Grand Cholas | Tiruchirappalli | 2024 |
V. B. Thiruvallur Veerans | Tiruvallur | 2016-17 | V. B. Kanchi Veerans | Kanchipuram | 2018-19 | Nellai Royal Kings | Tirunelveli | 2021- | – | ||
Albert Tuti Patriots | Thoothukudi | 2016–19 | Salem Spartans | Salem | 2021- | – | |||||
Idream Karaikudi Kaalai | Karaikudi | 2016-19 | Idream Tiruppur Tamizhans | Tiruppur | 2021- | ||||||
Madurai Super Giants | Madurai | 2016-17 | Siechem Madurai Panthers | Madurai | 2018 - |
Timeline of teams
edit![](http://up.wiki.x.io/wikipedia/en/timeline/ivrnahtctfmdjsznmge3ro1099olfit.png)
Present teams Former teams
Venues
editThree venues were used for the first few seasons until 2019. Dindigul and Tirunelveli hosted matches in the league stages and the playoffs in Chennai.[25]
Salem and Coimbatore started hosting matches from the 2020 season.[26][27][28]
Stadium | City | Capacity |
---|---|---|
M. A. Chidambaram Stadium | Chennai | 38,000[29] |
Salem Cricket Foundation Stadium | Salem | 5,000 (expandable to 25,000)[30] |
SNR College Cricket Ground | Coimbatore | Limited (expandable)[31] |
NPR College Ground | Dindigul | 5,000[32] |
Indian Cement Company Ground | Tirunelveli | 4,000[33] |
Tournament seasons and results
editFinals
editTeams' performances
editSeason | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022^ | 2023 | 2024 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chepauk Super Gillies | RU | C | 8th | C | C | C | 5th | PO |
Dindigul Dragons | SF | 6th | RU | RU | PO | 6th | PO | C |
iDream Tiruppur Tamizhans | 5th | PO | PO | 8th | 8th | 5th | 6th | PO |
Kovai Kings | SF | PO | PO | 5th | PO | C | C | RU |
Madurai Panthers† / Madurai Super Giants | 8th | 8th | C | PO | 6th | PO | PO | 7th |
Thiruvallur Veerans† / Kanchi Veerans† / Nellai Royal Kings | 6th | 5th | 7th | PO | 5th | PO | RU | 5th |
Kanchi Warriors† / Trichy Warriors† / Ba11sy Trichy† / Trichy Grand Cholas | 7th | 7th | 6th | 7th | RU | 7th | 8th | 6th |
Tuti Patriots† / Salem Spartans | C | RU | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 7th | 8th |
- Teams are listed alphabetically by year of entry into the league
† Team now defunct ^ Final was a no-result and trophy shared
- C: champions
- RU: runner-up
- SF or PO: team qualified for the semi-final or playoff stage of the competition
Records
editHighest totals
editScore | Team | Opponent | Season |
---|---|---|---|
236/2 | Nellai Royal Kings | Trichy Warriors | 2022 |
217/5 | Chepauk Super Gillies | Salem Spartans | 2023 |
215/2 | Tuti Patriots | Chepauk Super Gillies | 2016 |
211/6 | Nellai Royal Kings | Siechem Madurai Panthers | 2023 |
209/8 | Lyca Kovai Kings | Nellai Royal Kings | 2022 |
209/3 | Nellai Royal Kings | Siechem Madurai Panthers | 2022 |
208/5 | Lyca Kovai Kings | Siechem Madurai Panthers | 2023 |
208/6 | Nellai Royal Kings | Lyca Kovai Kings | 2022 |
207/4 | Siechem Madurai Panthers | Nellai Royal Kings | 2023 |
206/5 | Lyca Kovai Kings | Dindigul Dragons | 2023 |
206/4 | V. B. Kanchi Veerans | Trichy Warriors | 2016 |
205/5 | Lyca Kovai Kings | Nellai Royal Kings | 2023 |
Highest Successful Runchase
editScore | Team | Opponent | Season |
---|---|---|---|
209/8 | Lyca Kovai Kings | Nellai Royal Kings | 2022 |
202/5 | Dindigul Dragons | Lyca Kovai Kings | 2021 |
201/3 | Lyca Kovai Kings | Idream Tiruppur Tamilzhans | 2024 |
Highest individual scores
editBatsman | Runs | Balls | Opponent | Season |
---|---|---|---|---|
Sai Sudharsan (Lyca Kovai Kings) | 123* | 56 | Tiruppur Tamilzhans | 2024 |
Murali Vijay (Trichy Warriors) | 121 | 66 | Nellai Royal Kings | 2022 |
Baba Aparajith (Kanchi Veerans) | 118* | 63 | Karaikudi Kaalai | 2016 |
Bharath Shankar (Trichy Warriors) | 112* | 68 | Karaikudi kaalai | 2017 |
Ajitesh Gurusamy (Nellai Royal Kings) | 112 | 60 | Lyca Kovai kings | 2023 |
Title sponsorship
editFrom 2016 to 2019, India Cements Limited (Sankar Cement) owned the title rights of the league.[10][42][43] A tender for new title rights sponsor was released in March 2020 by TNCA.[44][43]
Sponsor | Period |
---|---|
India Cements Limited | 2016–2017 |
(India Cements Limited) as Sankar Cements | 2018–2019 |
Shriram Group | 2021–2023 |
Broadcasting
editIn 2016, Star India acquired the media rights for ₹7.1 crore and became the broadcast partner of the league.[6][45][46] The deal is worth between ₹7.2 crore and 10 crore for the first year, and ₹8 crore and 12 crore in the second, based on calculations.[13] Disney Star broadcasts the matches on Star Sports 1 HD with English Commentary and in Star Sports 1 Tamil HD with Tamil Commentary.[23] Star also broadcast via their OTT platform, Disney+ Hotstar.[47]
Satellite television rights
editWinning bidder | Terms of deal | Fee |
---|---|---|
Star Sports | 2016–2023 | ₹7.1 crore (US$850,000) |
Digital rights
editWinning bidder | Terms of deal | Fee |
---|---|---|
Disney Star | 2016–2021 | ₹7.1 crore (US$850,000) |
Voot (Internet) | 2022 | |
FanCode | 2023 |
Criticisms and controversies
editFinancial difficulties
editOn 26 May 2019, several franchise owners under financial distress wrote to TNCA asking for changes made in the upcoming season. The leaked letter signed by teams Tuti Patriots, Lyca Kovai Kings, Siechem Madurai Panthers, Trichy Warriors and iDream Karaikudi Kaalai was confidential in nature.[22][48] The franchise owners and TNCA were both upset about the leak of the letter which had caused negative image towards the league.[48]
The main concerns in the letter were regarding the lack of outstation players' participation, quality of umpiring, unavailability of Tamil Nadu players who represent India and matches being held in relatively smaller venues.[22][49] The franchises were also concerned over the viewership for the league and the television rating points. The league was criticised for not sharing the gate collections with the franchises, following the IPL model.[22] Unable to recover the expenses, franchises have reportedly suffered losses ranging from ₹15−25 crore. They suggested several changes for TNPL. They asked TNCA to allow outstation players and to ask Tamil Nadu players who represent India to take part in the league. They also demanded a better revenue-sharing method to prevent losses of the franchises.[49][50][22]
On 4 June 2019 in a meeting with the owners, TNCA reacted to the issue by saying that it shares 80 per cent of the telecast and sponsorship fees with the franchises and the association gains only a net ₹5 crore from TNPL after meeting all expenses.[48] Some owners were unsatisfied with the response and demanded a forensic audit of TNPL's accounts.[48]
Match-fixing allegations
editIn 2019, Tuti Patriots and Madurai Panthers faced match fixing allegations. BCCI president Sourav Ganguly had said that these franchises were suspended due to connection with bookies but TNCA said that they were not.[51][50][52] However, TNCA has asked franchise Tuti Patriots to remove two of their co-owners in link to the corruption.[53] In 2020, Tuti Patriots were renamed Salem Spartans for the next season due to the change in ownership.[26]
See also
edit- List of regional T20 cricket leagues in India
- Andhra Premier League
- Bengal Pro T20 League
- Chhattisgarh Cricket Premier League
- Delhi Premier League T20
- Kerala Cricket League
- Madhya Pradesh League
- Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20
- Maharashtra Premier League
- Odisha Cricket League
- Pondicherry Premier League
- Rajasthan Premier League
- Saurashtra Premier League
- Sher-E-Punjab T20 Cup
- UP T20 League
References
edit- ^ "TNPL Most runs". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ "TNPL Most wickets". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
- ^ "TNCA announces franchise-based T20 league". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
- ^ "Srinivasan unveils eight-franchise TNPL". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
- ^ "It'll be Shriram Capital TNPL this season". Tamil Nadu Cricket Association. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Ananth, Dharani Thangavelu, Venkat (9 June 2016). "Backed by N Srinivasan, Tamil Nadu gets its own Premier League". Livemint. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Tamil Nadu Premier League". TNCA. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ "TNCA announces franchise-based T20 league". ESPNcricinfo. 10 April 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f Vaidya, Jaideep (22 August 2016). "TNPL: Banned from the IPL for spot-fixing? If you are N Srinivasan, you just start your own league". Scroll.in. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
- ^ a b Babu, Gireesh (18 August 2016). "Coca Cola, Star India, India Cements to sponsor Tamil Nadu's T20". Business Standard India. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
- ^ a b c Dinakar, S. (28 April 2016). "TNPL is full of possibilities, says CEO". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
- ^ Staff, CricketCountry (22 April 2016). "Tamil Nadu Premier League: TNCA reveals duration, salary cap". Cricket Country. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Desk, Internet (3 August 2016). "Tamil Nadu Premier League: the facts and figures". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
{{cite news}}
:|last=
has generic name (help) - ^ "Dhoni launches the TNPL". The Hindu. 19 August 2016. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
- ^ a b Dinakar, S. (21 August 2016). "TNPL: BCCI's response awaited". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
- ^ a b Rao, K Shriniwas (30 June 2017). "BCCI's no to TNPL for other states' players could lead to bigger repercussions". The Times of India. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
- ^ "Cricket scorecard - TUTI Patriots vs Chepauk Super Gillies, Final, Tamil Nadu Premier League, 2016". Cricbuzz. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
- ^ a b c Sportstar, Team. "TNPL Players Draft 2020: Mukund goes to Tamizhans, Spartans picks Vijay Shankar". Sportstar. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
- ^ "Vijay for Salem; Tiruppur gets Abhinav". The New Indian Express. 21 February 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
- ^ a b Reporter, Sports (20 February 2020). "TNPL Season-5 draft today". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
- ^ a b "TNPL Player's Draft: Salem pick Disability World Series star - Times of India". The Times of India. 20 February 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Franchises, running in huge losses, demand changes in TNPL". Cricbuzz. 30 May 2019. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
- ^ a b "TNPL 2018: Prize money, venues, squads, schedule and telecast". cricket.yahoo.net. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
- ^ admin. "Teams". Tamil Nadu Premier League. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
- ^ "TN Premier League off to a grand start, to be played in 3 cities this time". News Minute. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
- ^ a b "Coimbatore, Salem on TNPL map this season". The New Indian Express. 19 February 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
- ^ Dinakar, S. (12 March 2020). "TNPL likely to begin after World Cup". Sportstar. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
- ^ Ragav, S. Dipak (16 February 2020). "Chennai may not host TNPL matches this year". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
- ^ "M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk". ESPNCrincinfo. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
- ^ "Salem to soon have a cricket stadium of international stature". Times of India. 16 July 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
- ^ "SNR College Cricket Ground". CBF News. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
- ^ "NPR College Ground, Dindigul". Advance cricket. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
- ^ "An improved Tirunelveli ground welcome for fans". The New Indian Express. 29 July 2017. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
- ^ "Tamil Nadu Premier League, 2017 Cricket Team Records & Stats". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
- ^ "Tamil Nadu Premier League, 2018 Cricket Team Records & Stats". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
- ^ "Tamil Nadu Premier League, 2016 Cricket Team Records & Stats". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
- ^ "Tamil Nadu Premier League, 2019 Cricket Team Records & Stats". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
- ^ "Tamil Nadu Premier League, 2018 Cricket Team Records & Stats". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
- ^ "Tamil Nadu Premier League, 2016 Cricket Team Records & Stats". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
- ^ "Tamil Nadu Premier League, 2019 Cricket Team Records & Stats". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
- ^ "Tamil Nadu Premier League, 2017 Cricket Team Records & Stats". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
- ^ admin. "About TNPL". Tamil Nadu Premier League. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
- ^ a b admin. "The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association Issues Tender For Title Rights Of The Tamil Nadu Premier League 2020 To 2022". Tamil Nadu Premier League. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
- ^ "Tender_Notice - ITT-Covering-Information.pdf" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 March 2020. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
- ^ "Star India set to bag TNPL media rights - Times of India". The Times of India. 6 June 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
- ^ "TNPL - Tamil Nadu Premier League". www.tnca.cricket. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
- ^ "Tamil Nadu Premier League 2019: TNPL Live Streaming, Telecast, When and where to watch". India Today. 19 July 2019. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
- ^ a b c d "TNCA meets franchise owners". Archived from the original on 26 September 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2023 – via PressReader.
- ^ a b "'Bleeding' franchises demand changes in TNPL - Times of India". The Times of India. 30 May 2019. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
- ^ a b "Tamil Nadu Premier League Owners Want Better Revenue Model, Quality Umpires For Next Edition". Outlook. 17 September 2019. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
- ^ Scroll Staff (7 December 2019). "Crores placed on a Tamil Nadu Premier League game prompted gambling site to stop taking bets: Report". Scroll.in. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
- ^ "A bookie approached a player in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy reveals Sourav Ganguly". Free Press Journal. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
- ^ Scroll Staff (5 December 2019). "TNPL franchises to remain despite corruption links, co-owners of team Tuti Patriots expelled: Report". Scroll.in. Retrieved 1 March 2020.