ITT vs SS Prediction: Who will win today's TNPL 2021 match?
![Salem Spartans start this TNPL 2021 clash as the favorites [PC: SS Twitter]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2021/07/cc89f-16271141924651-800.jpg?w=500)
The IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans and the Salem Spartans will look to get their first win of the 2021 Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) when they face off at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Saturday, July 24.
Both teams saw their respective first encounters washed out due to rain. While the Spartans shared the spoils with the Lyca Kovai Kings on the opening day of TNPL 2021, the Tamizhans received a point in rather fortuitous fashion against the Chepauk Super Gillies.
The Kovai Kings were placed at 168/5 in 18 overs when rain came pelting down at Chepauk during the season opener. The Spartans didn't get a chance to bat, with star players like Vijay Shankar and Murugan Ashwin having a tough time in the bowling department.
Meanwhile, the Tamizhans were at 64/7 against the Super Gillies before inclement weather saved them the ignominy of what was expected to be a heavy defeat. They will look to get their batting affairs in order ahead of this TNPL 2021 clash against the Spartans.
While the Spartans start as the favorites based on what little we've seen of these two teams in TNPL 2021, the Tamizhans cannot be counted out.
ITT vs SS Match Prediction: Which team will get their first win of TNPL 2021?
Led by Daryl Ferrario, the Salem Spartans have several star performers in their ranks. India all-rounder Vijay Shankar and Punjab Kings leg-spinner Murugan Ashwin are the most experienced players on the roster, and can be trusted to come good even if they weren't completely comfortable in their first TNPL 2021 game.
Pacer G Periyaswamy, who was the Man of the Match in the TNPL 2019 final, was the star of the show in his first outing this season. He scalped two wickets while conceding only 18 runs in three overs, accounting for the dangerous Shahrukh Khan and Sai Sudharsan. Ganesh Moorthi bowled an economical spell as well, while B Praanesh and Ferrario were expensive.
Meanwhile, the Tiruppur Tamizhans haven't had a chance to bowl yet, but what we saw from their batting was far from encouraging. No one in the top seven scored more than seven runs, and the team was at 36/7 at one stage before captain M Mohammed and Aswin Crist put on 28 for the eighth wicket.
The Tamizhans should have be able to put up a fight with the ball, though. Mohammed and Crist are experienced at the state level, with left-arm spinner Mohan Prasath and fast bowler Thamarai Kannan having performed well in the TNPL before.
It isn't easy to predict a winner for this TNPL 2021 game since the teams haven't featured in even one completed innings. But in the short time that we've seen them in action, the Spartans appear to be the more capable outfit. We might see the struggling Tamizhans fall to their first defeat of this year's competition.
Prediction: Salem Spartans to win Match 7 of TNPL 2021