53 Tamil Nadu cricketers register for IPL auctions

CHENNAI: As many as 53 cricketers from Tamil Nadu have registered for the upcoming IPL auctions to be held later this month end. A large chunk of those 53 are rookies, alongside a few TN regulars, who have performed admirably in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) over the last two years.Heading the list from TN are the five capped cricketers R Ashwin, Dinesh Karthik, Murali Vijay (all at a base price of Rs 2 crore), emerging star Washington Sundar (Rs 1.5cr) and Ranji Trophy skipper Abhinav Mukund (Rs 50 lakh).Natarajan and skipper Vijay Shankar set Rs 40 lakh base price: TN limited-overs skipper Vijay Shankar and left-arm pacer T Natarajan, who made waves last IPL after Kings XI Punjab bought him for Rs 3 crore and is recovering from an elbow injury, will enter the auction at a base price of Rs 40 lakh.Natarajan, who underwent a surgery last month, is expected to get back into action in the first half of February, while Vijay Shankar, who impressed for Sunrisers Hyderabad last season, has been in good touch with the bat leading TN to the Super League phase of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament.Leggie M Ashwin, who has been part of two IPL teams in the last two seasons, has set a base price of Rs 20 lakh.TNPL rookies eye IPL berth: The last month or so has witnessed quite a few rookies from TN showcase their skills in some of the trials conducted by Mumbai Indians. There are quite a few cricketers, representing lower division teams in the TNCA league, such as left-arm spinner M Ganesh Moorthi, SV Muruganandham, R Vivek and M Shahjahan who have also enrolled their names. "A few cricketers from TNPL have certainly impressed various franchises. There are a few good left-arm spinners on view. However, IPL franchises would look at various factors such as performing under pressure, how spinners would deliver against hard-hitting left-hand batsmen and how a batsman would fare when he is up against 140kmph bowlers. These things would be taken into consideration," an IPL scout told TOI.Mumbai had recently conducted trials for left-arm spinner S Mohan Prasath, who showed promise with the new ball in TNPL, alongside allrounders M Shahrukh Khan and V Yo Mahesh. Pacer K Vignesh also had attended a trial with the franchisee. Last year, left-arm allrounder R Sanjay Yadav, a second division league cricketer then, was picked by Kolkata Knight Riders.TN cricketers in IPL auction: Capped: R Ashwin, Dinesh Karthik, M Vijay (Rs 2 cr); Washington Sundar (Rs 1.5cr); Abhinav Mukund (Rs 50 lakh); Uncapped: Vijay Shankar & T Natarajan (Rs 40 lakh); Ganapathi Chandrasekar (Rs 30 lakh) Rs 20 lakh: M Ashwin, V Yo Mahesh, S Anirudha, B Aparajith, B Indrajith, Anirudh Balachander, K Bharath Shankar, Samrudh Bhat, Aswin Crist, Anthony Dhas, S Harish Kumar, J Kousik, K Mukunth, M Shahrukh Khan, M Abhinav, M Ganesh Moorthi, Kaushik Gandhi, K Vignesh, Ashwath Mukunthan, N Jagadeesan, Mohan Prasath, R Rajkumar, R Silambarasan, R Vivek, R Karthikeyan, R Alexander, R Rohith, R Malolan, Kavin Ravi, R Sai Kishore, R Rohit, SV Muruganantham, M Mohammed, Rahil Shah, M Shahjahan, Anand Subramaian, Akash Sumra, S Lokeshwar, L Suryapprakash, Abhishek Tanwar, U Sasidev, V Athisayaraj Davidson, V Lakshman, V Ganga Sridhar Raju, R Sanjay Yadav.