TNPL 2016: Best XI of the tournament

The inaugural edition of Tamil Nadu Premier League proved to be a great success for not just the teams and organizers but more so for the domestic talents that featured in the tournament. TNPL 2016 gave local players an opportunity to showcase how good they were in front of a considerable crowd and it is not often that domestic matches are telecast live.

The winning team Tuti Patriots weren’t in the best of the positions towards the end of the league stages, but they won their last three encounters to qualify for the semi-finals and once they were in the knockouts kept winning and that saw Dinesh Karthik lift the first ever TNPL trophy.

1. N Jagadeesan (wicketkeeper-batsman, Dindigul Dragons)

N Jagadeesan was Dragons’ Mr. Consistent as he scored five half-centuries in eight games. Dragons were heavily dependent on his form as the 20-year old averaged 56.71 and wowed everyone with an impressive array of shots. He was technically sound and started the tournament in style – winning three Man of the match awards on the trot. Later, he was also crowned as Player of the Tournament.

Tournament stats: 397 runs and five catches in eight games
Best performance: 87 not-out against VB Thiruvallur Veerans

2. Kaushik Gandhi (batsman, Albert TUTI Patriots)

Kaushik Gandhi was another asset at the top of the order thanks to his ability to give good starts. He played a crucial role to help his team reach the semi-finals and also played a solid knock in the finals as well. He averaged 45.75 at the top of the order, rotating the strike, and picking up boundaries as well.

Tournament stats: 366 runs and four catches in nine games

Best performance: 86 against Madurai Super Giants

3. B Aparajith (batsman, VB Thiruvallur Veerans)

Baba Aparjith was phenomenal with the bat as he scored the first century of the tournament against Karaikudi Kaalai. Despite playing only five games, he racked up runs in super quick time and also led from the front. He averaged a whopping 97.67 and also scored the maximum number of sixes in the tournament – 16.

Tournament stats: 293 runs and three catches in five games

Best performance: 118 not-out against Karaikudi Kaalai

4. Dinesh Karthik (captain, wicketkeeper-batsman, Albert TUTI Patriots)

Thanks to his wealth of experience, Dinesh Karthik was instrumental in the final as he led his side to victory with a gem of a knock. He marshalled his troops superbly from behind the stumps and also made crucial contributions with the bat.

Tournament stats : 170 runs and two catches in three games

Best performance: 67 not-out against Chepauk Super Gillies

5. Harish Kumar (all-rounder, Lyca Kovai Kings)

Harish Kumar, a nifty all-rounder, picked up crucial wickets with his canny medium-pacers, and also chipped in with the bat in the middle-order. His accuracy helped curtail the run-flow as he picked up 13 wickets to be the joint second-highest wicket-taker of the tournament.

Tournament stats: 117 runs, 13 wickets and two catches in eight games

Best performance: 3 for 20 against Dindigul Dragons

6. Antony Dhas (all-rounder, Chepauk Super Gillies)

Antony Dhas – the leading wicket-taker in the tournament – was best used late in the innings. The pacer caused plenty of problems for the batsmen as his yorkers in the death overs prevented them from scoring. Though he didn’t live up to his potential with the bat, he still compensated for it with the ball.

Tournament stats: 85 runs, 14 wickets and four catches in nine games

Best performance: 4 for 9 against Karaikudi Kaalai

7. R Rajkumar (all-rounder, Karaikudi Kaalai)

Though R Rajkumar was consistent still it was his splendid 4 for 19 coupled with a 19-ball 46 against the Madurai Super Giants which highlights his importance for the team.

Tournament Stats: 101 runs, nine wickets and six catches in seven games

Best performance: 46 (19) and 4 for 19 against Madurai Super Giants

8. M Ashwin (leg-spinner, Dindigul Dragons)

The 26-year old outfoxed many batsmen with his wily leg-breaks despite having endured a bad game in the opener. But Ashwin did brilliantly with the bat against the Albert TUTI Patriots and did justice to his role when he was promoted up the batting order.

Tournament Stats: 105 runs, 13 wickets and seven catches in eight games

Best performance: 61 not-out against Albert TUTI Patriots and 3 for 27 against VB Thiruvallur Veerans

9. Lakshmipathy Balaji (fast bowler, Albert TUTI Patriots)

In a league that brought out many young talents, L Balaji stood out as he put in all of his experience when leading the bowling attack. The veteran was the first bowler to pick up a five-wicket haul in the tournament and even skippered the side in a couple of games, before announcing his retirement from first-class cricket.

Tournament stats: 11 wickets and three catches in eight games

Best performance: 5 for 18 against VB Thiruvallur Veerans

10. T Natarajan (fast bowler, Dindigul Dragons)

Known for his deadly yorkers, Natarajan was economical both in the power-play as well as during the death overs. Those six consecutive yorkers in the super-over game against Albert TUTI Patriots won him many accolades.

Tournament stats: 10 wickets and six catches in seven games

Best performance: 4 for 21 against Karaikudi Kaalai

11. Sai Kishore (left-arm spinner, Chepauk Super Gillies)

Kishore who ended up on the losing team in the final was used well by captain R Sathish throughout the tournament. He was aggressive in his approach and also picked up wickets during crucial intervals. He also was successful in stemming the run flow and ended up with 12 wickets in nine matches.

Tournament stats: 12 wickets in nine matches

Best performance: 3 for 12 against Madurai Super Giants

12. MS Sanjay (left-arm spinner and 12th man, Dindigul Dragons)

The other young left-arm spinner who almost made it to the top eleven was MS Sanjay. Having won praises from captain R Ashwin, Sanjay wasn’t afraid to bowl during the powerplay, gave vital breakthroughs and helped Dragons make a comeback.

Tournament stats: 11 wickets and four catches in seven matches
Best performance: 4 for 21 against Chepauk Super Gillies