Akash Sumra

Albert Tuti Patriots may have sealed a place in the playoffs of the ongoing Tamil Nadu Premier League, but their intensity hasn't taken a dip at all.

A total of 45 players were picked in the TNPL-4 players' draft which was held here on Thursday evening. R Malolan, one of the prominent names on the list, was chosen by Lyca Kovai Kings in the opening round of the draft.

Albert Tuti Patriots clinched a 45-run win over Chepauk Super Gillies in the first game of the India Cements TN Premier League at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Wednesday, courtesy efforts from Dinesh Karthik (67 not out ) and Lakshmipathy Balaji (2 for 26).

The Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) match between Chepauk Super Gillies and Salem Spartans on Tuesday witnessed something really bizarre as the Spartans skipper Abhishek Tanwar conceded a total of 18 runs on the final delivery of the innings.

The TN batsman struck a scintillating century, the first in this TNPL, to help Tuti begin their campaign with a resounding 48-run victory against VB Kanchi Veerans in Tirunelveli on Sunday.

Madurai Panthers registered their second win in the TNPL 3 as they beat Tuti Patriots by 7 wickets at the NPR College ground in Dindigul on Sunday.

Medium-pacer R Silambarasan stood out with 5 for 17 to help VB Kanchi Veerans register a seven-wicket wicket win over defending champions Siechem Madurai Panthers in their TNPL 4 clash at the ICL ground in Tirunelveli on Sunday.

Washington Sundar hasn't put a foot wrong in the second season of Tamil Nadu Premier League. The 17-year-old all-rounder was the star performer as Tuti Patriots registered a six-wicket win over Karaikudi Kaalai.

Defending champions Tuti Patriots came up with a near flawless performance to upstage Ruby Trichy Warriors by 10-wickets in their TNPL 2 league match at the NPR College Ground on Wednesday.

Tuti Patriots made it two-out-of-two as they scored a 11-run win over Lyca Kovai Kings in their TNPL-3 clash at the NPR College ground in Dindigul on Friday. After scoring 182 for 7 batting first, Patriots restricted their opposition to 171 for 8.

Ruby Trichy Warriors scored a seven-wicket win over Tuti Patriots in their TNPL-3 clash at the NPR College ground in Dindigul on Wednesday night.

R Ashwin has been retained by Dindigul Dragons and he will feature in the first half of the Tamil Nadu Premier League which is scheduled to start in the first half of July.

Left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore (4-30) and medium-pacer Sandeep Warrier (1-21) --- who were part of the recently-concluded India tour of Sri Lanka --- shone for Chepauk Super Gillies as they beat Dindigul Dragons by 24 runs in their TNPL-5 clash at Chepauk on Sunday evening. The duo were instrumental in restricting Dindigul to 135-8 after Chepauk made 159-8 batting first.

R Ashwin starred with the ball - bagging match-figures of 8-70 - to help Mylapore Recreation Club (MRC) 'A' score an innings and 47-run win over CromBest in their TNCA first division league clash here on Thursday.

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.

The player's draft for the fifth season of TNPL went on expected lines. The only two to feature in category A - players with international experience - Vijay Shankar and Abhinav Mukund were bagged by Salem Spartans and Tiruppur Tamizhans respectively.

The players draft for the third edition of Tamil Nadu Premier League held here on Thursday went as per the script. The most prominent T20 players from the state — Dinesh Karthik, Vijay Shankar and Washington Sundar — were lapped up by franchises in the opening round of the draft.