TNPL Watch | How stars and up-and-rising talents from the bottom four sides performed in the first week
K Mani Bharathi was the pick of the batsmen from bottom four
|TNPL
While in the first part, we saw a star-studded line-up in the top four, with names such as Sai Sudarshan amidst the mix of Tamil Nadu's regulars - Ganga Sridhar Raju, J Kousik - the second part would be rather interesting, with household names. Who made the list from the bottom four?
Dindigul Dragons - 5th position, 2 points
Miles away Chennai, there is an enthusiastic Ravichandran Ashwin who is glued and watching his favourite team, Dindigul Dragons, go. However, out of the two games, they have won one and lost the other, languishing fifth on the table.Â
Best batsman: K Mani Bharathi - 107 runs
As Ian Bishop said and made the words âRemember the nameâ famous, there is a strong chance that Mani Bharathi might well live upto that kind of potential. That six against E Srinivasan was just the start of the assault en route to his 81 off 32 balls. An array of shots, on his legs, on the off-side and just everywhere in the ground. With an average of 53.50 and a strike rate of 194.54, he is just getting warmed up.Â
Best bowler: R Sutesh - 3 wickets
Sutesh joins the long list of left-arm seamers who have been impressive in this edition of the TNPL. Across two games, in seven overs, the left-arm seamer has picked up three wickets, conceding 5.42 RPO. More significantly, he averages 12.66 with the ball. Talk about impact, Sutesh has been the pick of the bowlers for Dindigul Dragons.Â
Other notable performers: C Hari Nishaanth - 89 runs
Nellai Royal Kings - 6th position, 2 points
After being shot to just 77 runs, and a 74-run loss, Nellai Royal Kings surprised one and all with their performance in the second game, where they were at their thumping best against the Chepauk Super Gillies, with a seven-wicket win. Still in sixth place, there is a ray of hope for the underdogs.Â
Best batsman: Pradosh Ranjan Paul - 62 runs
Another extremely talented batsman, Pradosh Ranjan Paul has just begun to warm up in the season, with 62 runs thus far in the tournament. His hitting zones, batting prowess and boundary scoring shots really will light the tournament up. An average of 31, with an under-par strike rate of 110.71, he is just warming up, yet is the highest run-scorer for a franchise that has the likes of Baba Aparajith and Indrajith in the lineup.Â
Best bowler: V Athisayaraj Davidson - 3 wickets
At 20 lakhs, Athisayaraj Davidson went unsold in the IPL Auction but his slingy action combined with his consistent display will surely pull him back into the Auction List. This season thus far, the slingy bowler has picked up three wickets, at an average of 22 with an economy rate of 8.25, which makes it impressive for a pacer with his action.
Chepauk Super Gillies - 7th position, 1 point
Unfortunately for the star-studded Chepauk Super Gillies line-up, their first week was ruined by the rains in the city, in a game where they were on the ascendancy. However, come the next encounter, they suffered the wrath of some poor batting and some great batting from the opposition, Nellai Royal Kings. But amidst all that, there were familiar names, both with the bat and ball, who topped the list for the franchise in the first week.Â
Best batsman: Narayan Jagadeesan - 95 runs
As expected, having only batted one inning thus far, Narayan Jagadeesan picked up from where he usually leaves it in the TNPL, as the highest run-scorer for his franchise. In the 2019 edition, he was with the Dindigul Dragons side but a switch to Chepauk Super Gillies didnât affect his batting form whatsoever. In just his one inning, the right-handed Jagadeesan scored 95 runs for the franchise on a tricky surface. Wherever he goes, runs follow, with him averaging 95 while striking it at 135.71!Â
Best bowler: Rajagopal Satish - 5 wickets
For people who have closely watched and followed Tamil Nadu cricket, Rajagopal Satish wonât come as a surprise. In the opener, in the rain-affected match, the 40-year-old workhorse, as he admits in the interview very often, showed in his performance that he loves the game. Bowling the military medium pace, the right-arm bowler got a fifer, where he got the ball seaming and swinging like he was in England, conceding just ten runs. Does India need an all-rounder in England? Satish is one call away!
IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans - 8th position, 1 point
The Tiruppur Tamizhans have struggled, both with the bat and the ball but yet, thanks to the rain, have come away with a crucial point in their first two fixtures. They were lucky, in fact, incredibly lucky to have come away with a point against the Chepauk Super Gillies but now with just one point, really need a step up in the second week of the tournament.Â
Best batsman: Francis Rokins - 58 runs
Tiruppar Tamizhans might be at the bottom of the table but Francis Rokinsâ performance was far away from being of that standard. Against the strong bowling unit of the Salem Spartans, the right-hander showed great batting composure, with shots that were reflective of his good technique.Â
Best bowler: Aswin Crist - 1 wicket
Despite just picking the one wicket, Tiruppur Tamizhans bowling hopes lie on the shoulders of Aswin Crist, who in the last year has made his comeback into the sport having spent a considerable amount of time away from it. Having bowled the four overs, the pacer has picked up one wicket, averaging 26 but more importantly, is just conceding at 6.50 RPO.
