Chennai
The 40-year-old Sathish has returned to the Chepauk fold after a two-year spell away from the Chennai-based franchise, where he represented the now-defunct teams Tuti Patriots and VB Kanchi Veerans for a season each. And unsurprisingly, the Tamil Nadu veteran has been an invaluable addition to CSG that has cracked the last-4 code for a fourth time.
In fact, it was Sathish who laid the foundation for Chepauk in the initial years, leading it to a TNPL title and a runner-up medal. A darling of the CSG faithful, Sathish, in an interaction with DT Next, expressed that his return to the team has been filled with emotions.
“This is my third year at Super Gillies. In our first two years, we had a lot of success. The team showed confidence and picked me at the draft. I am happy to be working with head coach Hemang Badani bhai again,” said Sathish, ahead of Chepauk’s Qualifier 1 assignment against Ruby Trichy Warriors at the MA Chidambaram Stadium here on Tuesday.
Having made the cut for the play-offs once again, defending champion CSG is a few steps away from clinching a record-extending third TNPL trophy. Asked if the franchise – the most decorated in the League’s history – is positive about going all the way in the fifth edition, Sathish replied: “We are not looking too far ahead. We are working towards our ultimate goal, which is to win the TNPL title. We are a team that takes one game at a time.”
Sathish showed great fortitude when Chepauk was put under the pump by Lyca Kovai Kings in its penultimate first round match on Friday. He produced an innings of the highest order – 64 off 32 balls – that propelled the Kaushik Gandhi-led side to the final-four stage.
Talking about the special knock, Sathish said: “I was under a little bit of pressure heading into that match as I had only a few runs in my kitty. I thought of taking the innings deep and it actually worked for me. The only thing I had in mind was to stay in the middle.”
In form, Sathish would look to be at his vintage best come the TNPL Season 5 play-off phase.
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