Picture Credit: Twitter/TNPL
The 2021 edition of Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) is set to commence on July 19 after the state government gave a formal written approval for the tournament to begin. The season 5 of the tournament was initially scheduled to take place from June 4 to July 4 but had to be postponed due to increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the state. With the pandemic situation finally improving, the biggest T20 tournament in Tamil Nadu is also set to return with the finale expected to happen on August 15. The official announcement regarding the dates could be made on July 2, Friday.
Tournament to be played behind closed doors
To ensure complete safety of the players and everyone involved, Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) have decided to organize the tournament behind closed doors, with no spectators and media. There will be 32 matches played during the tournament at three different venues. While Chennai is one confirmed centre, the decision regarding the other two venues is yet to be taken with Tirunelveli, Dindigul, Coimbatore and Salem as the alternatives.
As per reports, all the players involved in the tournament will enter quarantine in July 4 in Chennai. Everyone will have to show two negative results in RT-PCR tests before going into five-day quarantine. Three more tests will be conducted during the isolation period before they get clearance to start practice from July 9 or 10.
In the recently concluded TNPL 5 draft, 40 players were picked across eight franchises. KKR pacer Sandeep Warrier was one of the most prominent names who was signed by defending champions Chepauk Super Gillies. Some big names like Ravichandran Ashwin (Dindigul Dragons) and Washington Sundar (Salem Spartans) are set to miss the entire season due to national duties.