TNPL 2019: Cracker of an opener on the cards

The curtain raiser has the ingredients to be a cracker as two strong teams are set to lock horns with each other. While CSG went all the way in 2017, host Dragons finished second in the last edition. Dindigul, which has N Jagadeesan up top, is bolstered by the presence of India international Ravichandran Ashwin, who missed most of the matches in 2018. Home team coach M Venkataramana is seeking an all-round improvement from his side, with a sole aim of reaching the final and winning the crown. “We would like to improve our brand of cricket and performances from the last three seasons. We want to make it to the final again and win the trophy this time. We are happy with the composition of our team, all departments are adequately covered,” said the former Tamil Nadu off-spinner.

Jagadeesan, who led Dindigul last season in Ashwin’s absence, is banking on his stint with the Chennai Super Kings to help his team this time around. “Being part of CSK, I gained good experience and learned some important lessons, which I hope to execute here,” said the wicketkeeper-batsman, who was the highest run-getter (396 runs) for the franchise in TNPL 3.

Newly-appointed CSG captain Kaushik Gandhi is confident of a good show in the fourth edition of the eight-team competition. “This side has done well in the past and we are looking to win the TNPL title again. We will try our best to get back on track and go all the way. We are a stronger unit (when compared to 2018) and I think we will perform well this season.”