TOURNAMENT REVIEW
Follow UsDindigul Dragons finally managed to lift their first TNPL trophy after being in the competition since its inception in 2016. They did finish as runners-up in 2018 and 2019. The R Ashwin-led side beat the defending champions in Lyca Kovai Kings in the final at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on August 4 (Sunday).
Also read - Ashwin stars as Dindigul beat Kovai to win their maiden TNPL title
Here's a recap of what transpired in the 20-over tournament.
Hits of TNPL 2024
Ravichandran Ashwin (Dindigul Dragons)
Ashwin had a special season. He played a full season of TNPL for the first time and was involved in every aspect of decision making for the Dragons as a captain and player. Along with showcasing his prowess with the ball, where he took nine wickets at an economy of 6.9, his batting stood out as he scored 252 runs at a strike rate of 152 with three 50+ scores, all coming in playoff matches. Even in the final, Ashwin crafted 52 off 46 to help his team chase down 129.
Shivam Singh (Dindigul Dragons)
Shivam Singh had another excellent season for the Dragons. He finished the season as the highest run scorer, scoring 364 runs in 10 innings at an average of 45.5. He scored three fifties and a big century, which was crucial as that win against LKK kept the Dragons in the tournament.
Shahrukh Khan (Lyca Kovai Kings)
The big all-rounder scored 225 runs, with four 50+ scores, at a massive strike rate of 182. With the ball, he picked up 13 wickets at an economy of 6.8, ending the season as the joint second-highest wicket-taker. He also led Lyca Kovai Kings to their third consecutive TNPL final. All this excellence resulted in him deservingly getting the “Player of the Tournament” award.
T Natarajan (IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans)
Natarajan made an excellent comeback as he had a good season with the ball for IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans. He picked up 12 wickets in 8 games at an excellent strike rate of 13.5. He showcased his speciality in slog overs, picking seven of his 12 wickets in this phase.
Sandeep Warrier (Dindigul Dragons)
As the leader of the bowling attack, he took 12 wickets and maintained a healthy economy of 6.9, which is outstanding for a pacer in a T20 competition. His wickets in powerplay gave the Dragons good starts, and his wickets in the slog overs did not allow opponents to go big.
Misses of TNPL 2024
Sai Kishore (IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans)
Sai Kishore had a very underwhelming season for IDream Tiruppur Tamizans. The spin-bowling all-rounder was the most expensive player (22 lakhs) in TNPL 2024. Even though he led his team to a third-place finish, he individually had a bad season as he picked just five wickets in seven games. Batting in the middle order, he scored just 43 runs in seven innings at an average of 8.6.
S Harish Kumar (Salem Spartans)
S Harish Kumar had a below-par season for Salem Spartans. The pace-bowling all-rounder managed only 140 runs with the bat and took just six wickets in seven games. Even though he had an excellent strike rate of 192, it didn't have much impact, as his team ended up at the bottom of the table with just one win in seven games.
Ajitesh Guruswamy (Nellai Royal Kings)
Ajitesh Guruswamy had a breakout season last year, but he has had a horrible TNPL 2024. The Nellai Royal Kings batter managed just 152 runs in seven games at an average of 25.3 and a below-par strike rate of 125. He failed to score even one fifty and did not step up for the team when he had to in crucial moments. His poor form was one of the primary reasons why the Royal Kings failed to qualify for the playoffs.
B Anirudh Sita Ram (IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans)
He was the least impactful player for his team, managing just 142 runs in 9 games. He averaged 15.78, which was amongst the lowest for a batter scoring 100+ runs in TNPL 2024. Apart from one fifty at the beginning of the tournament, the experienced batter failed to step up in crucial moments batting in the middle order.
Hari Nishaanth (Siecham Madurai Panthers)
Like Anirudh Sita Ram, Hari Nishaanth also failed to capitalise on his experience. He scored 111 runs in seven games at an average of 18.5. He did not cross the 40-run mark even once. Like Ajitesh Guruswamy for NRK, Nishaanth’s failure at the top played a major role in SMP finishing second last.
Breakout performance of TNPL 2024
P Vignesh (Dindigul Dragons)
P Vignesh had an excellent debut season. The left-arm spinner became the third wheel in the spin trio along with the experienced duo of R Ashwin and Varun CV. He picked up 10 wickets in nine innings and maintained an excellent economy of 6.2 throughout the tournament. As part of the Dindigul spin trio, he pressured the opposition batters in middle overs and successfully derailed their innings on multiple occasions.
Statistical Milestones from TNPL 2024
Highest scores
123* - Sai Sudharsan – LKK vs ITT, Dindigul, 2024
121 – Murali Vijay – TGC vs NRK, Coimbatore, 2022
118* - Baba Aparajith – NRK vs ITT, Dindigul, 2016
112* - Bharath Shankar – TGC vs ITT, Dindigul, 2017
112 – Ajitesh Guruswamy – NRK vs LKK, Coimbatore, 2023
Most boundaries in an innings
19 - Murali Vijay – TGC vs NRK, Coimbatore, 2022
18 - Sai Sudharsan – LKK vs ITT, Dindigul, 2024
18 - Baba Aparajith – NRK vs ITT, Dindigul, 2016
17 - Bharath Shankar – TGC vs ITT, Dindigul, 2017
Most 6s in an innings for a batter
12 - Murali Vijay – TGC vs NRK, Coimbatore, 2022
10 – Shivam Singh – DD vs SMP, Dindigul, 2024
9 – SP Nathan – SS vs SMP, Dindigul, 2017
9 – Sanjay Yadav – NRK vs TGC, Coimbatore, 2022
9 – Sai Sudharsan – LKK vs ITT, Dindigul, 2024
Best figures
6/32 – K Easwaran – TGC vs DD, Salem, 2024
5/9 – R Alexander – CSG vs TGC, Tirunelveli, 2019
5/10 – R Sathish – CSG vs ITT, Chennai, 2021
5/12 – M Silambarasan – CSG vs TGC, Tirunelveli, 2023
5/13 – Sai Kishore – CSG vs ITT, Chennai, 2017
Best Bowling strike rate in powerplay (1-6)
8.0 – Mohamed Ali (ITT), 2024
9.6 – Rahil Shah (CSG), 2023
10.8 – Washington Sundar (SS), 2017
11.0 – Dakshinamoorthy Kumaran (SS), 2019
Most wickets in overs 16-20
14 – M Poiyamozhi (7 inns), 2024
14 – Abhishek Tanwar (8 inns), 2022
14 – L Kiran Akash (9 inns), 2019
13 – G Periyaswamy (9 inns), 2019
13 – Subodh Bhati (9 inns), 2023
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