Tuti has a balanced side

Their first pick, Dinesh Karthik, was everyone’s choice, so with the opening pick the Patriots clinched a top fish. By the time they picked 11 players out of the 19 they finally did, they had four top batsmen (Karthik, Washington, Abhinav Mukund, Kaushik Gandhi), one top left-arm spinner (Aushik Srinivas) and even a reserve wicket-keeper to Karthik (U Sushil). 

And if there was one slot they wanted to fill, it was a leg-spinner. “I would have loved have a leg-spinner but then there aren’t many available,” said Mrugang, who had worked with Rajasthan Royals. 

“It is a good mix,” Monty said of his team’s composition. “You have to look at the future but at the same time we want to perform as well,” the mentor added. 

He said he and his team (TNCA league player JR Madanagopal as his deputy) did a lot of mock drafts before coming for the TNPL event on Saturday. “And I am happy that we got six of the top seven we had in mind (at the halfway stage),” Monty said.

Dinesh Karthik, Washington Sundar MS, Aswin Crist, Abhinav Mukund, Aushik Srinivas, Kaushik Gandhi, L Balaji, Anand Subramanian, Akash Sumra, R Sathyanarayan, U Sushil, Ganesh Moorthy, Athisayaraj Davidson, V Maaruthi Raghav, R Vishaal, Siddarth Ahuja, Lakshman V, Nathan SP, Nicul Anand G.