Suresh Raina to be among top marquee attractions at TNPL 2017

Veteran Indian batsman Suresh Raina is all set to be a part of the 2017 edition of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) auctions. As per the recent reports, Raina has signed up for the domestic T20 league and is one among the 80 outstation players to have registered for the tournament. The inaugural edition of the TNPL was a big hit but had only native players from the state of Tamil Nadu.

This year, the organisers and the state association decided to rope in the outstation flavor as well. All the participating teams will be allowed to pick a maximum of 3 outstation players for the tournament proper. In the matches, a maximum of two outstation players will be taking the field. As per the reports in Sportstarlive, as many as 80 outstation players have registered for the tournament by sending in their applications.

The deadlines for the applications ended on Thursday evening. One of the primary requirements to be a part of the league is to be associated with a local club in the state of Tamil Nadu. Suresh Raina was roped in by Grand Slam club. He will be hoping to be one of the top attractions at the auction drafts this season. The drafts auction is scheduled to take place on June 23 this year.

There will be three rounds of auction. In the first round, the winner of the inaugural edition – Albery Tuti Patriots – will get to pick the first outstation player. In the second round, the order would be reversed with the lowest ranked team from the first edition – Madurai Kings – making the first choice. Many big names have signed up for the league. These names include Sanju Samson, Sandeep Sharma, Yuzvendra Chahal, Piyush Chawla, and Manoj Tiwary.

Return of sorts

However, the two that stand out are Yusuf Pathan and Suresh Raina. Yusuf is a proven asset in the shortest format and is keen on being a part of the tournament. Meanwhile, it will be a return of some sorts to Tamil Nadu for Suresh Raina. Raina has a huge fan following in the state for the reason that he was an integral part of the Chennai Superkings in the IPL.