The Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) 2023 kicked off on June 12th with the joint winners of the previous season Lyca Kovai Kings taking on IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans. The TNPL holds good significance in Indian cricket as it acts as a stream of talent for the IPL franchises. It’s a tournament where several youngsters have made their mark and gained attention.
This is the seventh edition of the TNPL, with Chepauk Super Gillies being the most successful side with four titles. Madurai Super Giants (now Siechem Madurai Panthers), Lyca Kovai Kings and Tuti Patriots (now Salem Spartans) are the other teams to have won a TNPL title.
Lyca Kovai Kings and Chepauk Super Gillies shared the trophy in the last edition after rain played spoil-sport. The format of the tournament remains the same, with eight teams playing each other once in the group stage. The top four teams will advance through to the playoffs.
Here’s everything you need to know about the fixtures, how to watch the TNPL 2023 and top players to watch out for.
TNPL 2023 fixtures
The TNPL 2023 commenced on June 12th with a clash between Lyca Kovai Kings vs IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans at SNR College Cricket Ground in Coimbatore. The group stage of the tournament will go on till July 5th and will be played in four phases.
The first leg of the tournament is to be hosted at Coimbatore with the second phase taking place at NPR College Ground in Dindigul. The TNPL then moves to Salem, where SCF Cricket Ground will host the matches. The final seven group matches are scheduled at Indian Cement Company Ground in Tirunelveli.
- June 12, 7 PM: Lyca Kovai Kings vs IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans (SNR College Cricket Ground, Coimbatore)
- June 13, 7 PM: Salem Spartans vs Chepauk Super Gillies (SNR College Cricket Ground, Coimbatore)
- June 14, 3 PM: Siechem Madurai Panthers vs Nellai Royal Kings (SNR College Cricket Ground, Coimbatore)
- June 14, 7 PM: Dindigul Dragons vs Ba11sy Trichy (SNR College Cricket Ground, Coimbatore)
- June 15, 7 PM: Chepauk Super Gillies vs IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans (SNR College Cricket Ground, Coimbatore)
- June 16, 7 PM: Lyca Kovai Kings vs Nellai Royal Kings (SNR College Cricket Ground, Coimbatore)
- June 18, 3 PM: Salem Spartans vs Ba11sy Trichy (NPR College Ground, Dindigul)
- June 18, 7 PM: Dindigul Dragons vs Siechem Madurai Panthers (NPR College Ground, Dindigul)
- June 19, 7 PM: Lyca Kovai Kings vs Chepauk Super Gillies (NPR College Ground, Dindigul)
- June 20, 7 PM: Nellai Royal Kings vs IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans (NPR College Ground, Dindigul)
- June 21, 3 PM: Chepauk Super Gillies vs Dindigul Dragons (NPR College Ground, Dindigul)
- June 21, 7 PM: Ba11sy Trichy vs Lyca Kovai Kings (NPR College Ground, Dindigul)
- June 22, 7 PM: Nellai Royal Kings vs Salem Spartans (NPR College Ground, Dindigul)
- June 24, 3 PM: Nellai Royal Kings vs Chepauk Super Gillies (SCF Cricket Ground, Salem)
- June 24, 7 PM: Salem Spartans vs Siechem Madurai Panthers (SCF Cricket Ground, Salem)
- June 25, 3 PM: Dindigul Dragons vs Lyca Kovai Kings (SCF Cricket Ground, Salem)
- June 25, 7 PM: Idream Tiruppur Tamizhans vs Ba11sy Trichy (SCF Cricket Ground, Salem)
- June 26, 7 PM: Chepauk Super Gillies vs Siechem Madurai Panthers (SCF Cricket Ground, Salem)
- June 27, 7 PM: Salem Spartans vs Lyca Kovai Kings (SCF Cricket Ground, Salem)
- June 28, 7 PM: Idream Tiruppur Tamizhans vs Dindigul Dragons (SCF Cricket Ground, Salem)
- June 29, 7 PM: Siechem Madurai Panthers vs Ba11sy Trichy (SCF Cricket Ground, Salem)
- July 1, 3 PM: Idream Tiruppur Tamizhans vs Salem Spartans (Indian Cement Company Ground, Tirunelveli)
- July 1, 7 PM: Nellai Royal Kings vs Dindigul Dragons (Indian Cement Company Ground, Tirunelveli)
- July 2, 3 PM: Siechem Madurai Panthers vs Lyca Kovai Kings (Indian Cement Company Ground, Tirunelveli)
- July 2, 7 PM: Ba11sy Trichy vs Chepauk Super Gillies (Indian Cement Company Ground, Tirunelveli)
- July 3, 7 PM: Dindigul Dragons vs Salem Spartans (Indian Cement Company Ground, Tirunelveli)
- July 4, 7 PM: Siechem Madurai Panthers vs IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans (Indian Cement Company Ground, Tirunelveli)
- July 5, 7 PM: Ba11sy Trichy vs Nellai Royal Kings (Indian Cement Company Ground, Tirunelveli)
TNPL 2023 Playoffs
Salem will host the Qualifier 1 and Eliminator on July 7th and July 8th, respectively. Tirunelveli gets the honour of hosting the TNPL 2023 Qualifier 2 on July 10th and the final on July 12th.
- Qualifier 1 – July 7, 7 PM – Salem
- Eliminator – July 8, 7 PM – Salem
- Qualifier 2 – July 10, 7 PM – Tirunelveli
- Final – July 12, 7 PM – Tirunelveli
Where to watch the TNPL 2023 in India
For the Indian fans who love following their beloved sport, there are a couple of ways you can catch the live action of the TNPL 2023.
Star Sports Network has the television rights to broadcast the TNPL season in India. You can watch the coverage on Star Sports 3 and the regional channel Star Sports 1 Tamil.
If you prefer watching sports online on your phone or laptop, FanCode application is your saviour for the TNPL 2023. But to watch the TNPL live on this platform, you will need to buy a subscription. There are three ways you can subscribe to FanCode. You can get a tour pass, where you can watch only TNPL matches, for INR 79. You could buy a monthly pack or a yearly pack, which gives you access to the live streaming of all available tournaments on the app.
Top Players to watch out for in TNPL 2023
R Sanjay Yadav (Chepauk Super Gillies)
R Sanjay Yadav had an incredible season last year for Nellai Royal Kings, ending up as the player of the tournament. He scored 452 runs from nine games at an average of 90 while striking at a stunning rate of 187. The all-rounder also bagged six wickets in the competition. He is playing for Chepauk Super Gillies this season and has started well.
Varun Chakravarthy (Dindigul Dragons)
Varun Chakravarthy had a pretty good Indian T20 League season and he has carried that form into the TNPL. He picked 3 for 21 in the first game for Dindigul Dragons this season. One of the best T20 spinners in the country, Varun has 71 wickets in the format at an economy of 7.23.
R Sai Sudarshan (Lyca Kovai Kings)
R Sai Sudarshan did a pretty solid job for Team Gujarat in the Indian T20 League. He scored 362 runs in just eight innings at 52 average and 141 strike rate, including a terrific 96 off 47 in the final. The left hander started where he left off and smashed 86 in 45 balls in the first game versus IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans.
