Former Tamil Nadu white-ball captain R. Sai Kishore says the Tamil Nadu Premier League's dip in IPL call-ups isn't a talent issue but a results issue, as the state must win national tournaments to gain wider recognition.
The Tamil Nadu Premier League, once hailed as the trendsetter for franchise-based T20 tournaments in India, unearthed gems like T. Natarajan and Varun Chakaravarthy in its early seasons. However, in recent years, few TNPL players have gone on to knock on the doors of IPL franchises.
Former Tamil Nadu white-ball captain R. Sai Kishore, who led iDream Tiruppur Tamizhans to the TNPL title last season, believes the drop in numbers isn't due to a lack of quality in the league. "It is not just because of TNPL. Talents have always been coming out of TNPL. TN, as a team, must win the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (T20) and Vijay Hazare Trophy (50 overs). Once we do that, the situation will be different at the IPL or National level," he said.
Sai Kishore added that talent alone isn't enough to catch the eye of scouts. "Talent is certainly important, but scouts do not just look at talent. TN has to start winning tournaments (for better recognition)," he said.
Meanwhile, TNPL franchises continue to use the tournament as a proving ground to prepare players for higher-level competition. Tiruppur Tamizhans head coach R.X. Muralidhar revealed a specific tactic his team uses in practice matches to test batters under pressure. "When we play practice matches, we have an extra fielder. We place that fielder in the batter's area of strength. We want to see how one responds to pressure. To me, mindset matters more than skills," Muralidhar said.
Reporting sourced from The Hindu Cricket. Photo courtesy The Hindu Cricket.