3 TNPL 2023 stars who are no longer part of an IPL franchise
The Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) has proven to be an excellent stepping stone for young cricketers to make the jump to the Indian Premier League (IPL). Widely regarded as the best state-level T20 league in the country, the TNPL has given several talented players the chance to gain national fame.
The likes of Varun Chakaravarthy, Shahrukh Khan, Washington Sundar and T Natarajan have become IPL regulars after impressing all with their exploits in the TNPL. Others, including Sonu Yadav and Sai Kishore, didn't play any matches during IPL 2023 but gained valuable exposure.
On the flip side, a few players who were once part of the IPL now find themselves with the need to catch the eye of the 10 franchises once again. Currently without an IPL contract, these names need to shine in TNPL 2023, which is currently underway.
Here are three TNPL 2023 stars who are no longer part of an IPL franchise.
#3 C Hari Nishaanth
The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have veered away from local flavor in the IPL. It didn't cause any problems as they stormed their way to their fifth title, but the Men in Yellow didn't have any Tamil Nadu players on their roster for the 2023 season.
One of the reasons for that was them releasing the likes of N Jagadeesan and C Hari Nishaanth ahead of the auction. The latter didn't find any takers, missing out on IPL action after a couple of seasons with the Super Kings.
Hari Nishaanth, though, is an integral part of the Siechem Madurai Panthers (SMP). He leads the franchise and has scored 88 runs in just two matches this season. However, the Panthers are dead last in the standings, having failed to get off the mark so far.
Hari Nishaanth could make an IPL comeback if he has prolific TNPL and domestic seasons.
#2 M Siddharth
M Siddharth has been part of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and the Delhi Capitals (DC), but he has never been handed an IPL cap. The left-arm spinner is currently without a franchise in the prestigious league and hasn't been at his best in domestic cricket as well.
However, Siddharth has the chance to rise back up the ranks. The Lyca Kovai Kings (LKK) bowler scalped three wickets for just 13 runs in his last TNPL 2023 game against Ba11sy Trichy (BT) to take his season tally to four. His average of 19.75 is more than respectable.
Siddharth will want to show some consistency for LKK, who are close to the top of the table with three wins from four matches.
#1 Baba Indrajith
Baba Indrajith is one of the most consistent performers in domestic cricket, but that hasn't translated into opportunities at higher levels so far. The batter played three games for KKR in IPL 2022 without much success and went unsold in the 2023 auction.
Indrajith was also bizarrely excluded from South Zone's Duleep Trophy squad, prompting shocked reactions from close followers of Indian domestic cricket. Things are bound to look up soon for the 28-year-old, though.
Indrajith is part of the table-topping Dindigul Dragons (DD) in TNPL 2023. He has racked up 101 runs at an average of 50.5 and a strike rate of 134.67 in three matches. A few more promising performances could take him back into IPL reckoning.