For the first time in five years, Chennai is unlikely to host any matches of the Tamil Nadu Premier League this year, as the association is planning to raze down and rebuild the pavilion structure after the completion of the IPL in May.
The fifth edition will also see Coimbatore and Salem join as new venues, alongside Dindigul and Tirunelveli. The Salem Cricket Foundation Stadium was recently inaugurated by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edapadi K. Palanisamy.
In the lead up to the 2011 World Cup, all the stands, barring the MCC terrace and Pavilion Terrace, were reconstructed at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium. Since then the TNCA had issues with the sealing of three new stands and renewal of its lease.
The lease was finally renewed late last year and last week, a portion of the MCC gym was razed down to give the necessary setback space which should pave way for reopening the three stands ahead of the IPL that beings in March.
Final at Tirunelveli?
It is understood Tirunelveli will host the final with Dindigul and Coimbatore possibly hosting the playoff matches.
The players draft for the fifth edition of the TNPL will be held on February 20 in Chennai. With each team retaining a maximum of three players, the eight teams will have a lot on their plates on Thursday. A team is allowed a maximum of 19 players in the squad.
Name change
Of the eight teams, two teams have changed their names and bases for this year. Tuti Patriots, which won the inaugural edition in 2016 will henceforth be called Salem Spartans, while I Dream Karaikudi Kaalai has requested permission to change its name as Tirupur Tamizhans.
This year the plan is to conduct TNPL matches from Wednesday to Sunday at a particular venue with the weekends playing host to double-headers before the bandwagon moves to another venue.
