TNPL 2016: VB Thiruvallur Veerans, Ruby Kanchi Warriors to witness clash of brothers

The India Cements TN Premier League game between VB Thiruvallur Veerans and Ruby Kanchi Warriors at Tirunelveli on Monday has an interesting angle to it. It will be a clash of siblings as Baba Aparajith (Veerans) and Baba Indrajith (Warriors) will play in opposite teams probably for the first time ever.

 

The 22-year-olds have come through the junior cricket ranks together and this is a rare occasion which has the two playing on opposite sides. The twins – fondly known as Sunny (Indrajith) and Sachin (Aparajith) - started their career playing for Thiruvallur district.

 

Aparajith was selected to play for Tamil Nadu’s Ranji Trophy team in 2011 while Indrajith made his first-class debut only two years back against Saurashtra. The twins’ father, Dr RN Baba, was elated about the two playing against each other for the first time ever.

 

“No matter who wins, I want both of them to perform well,” said Baba. He added: “I am travelling from Chennai to Tirunelveli by road just to watch my two sons play each other. It is a very happy feeling to see both your sons captaining in a league like this.”

 

Aparajith is best known for his pivotal role in helping India Under-19s win the Under-19 World Cup in Australia in 2012. He also won two back-to-back Man of the Match awards against Pakistan Under-19s and New Zealand Under-19s in the quarter-final and semi-final.

 

Aparajith has also been the highest run-getter in the Duleep Trophy and also made the cut for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rising Pune Super giants (RSP) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He also scored the first century in the India Cements TN Premier League and was instrumental in Veerans’ first win in the tournament against Karaikudi Kaalai.

 

While Aparajith’s forte is to build an innings, Indrajith on the other hand is known more for his finishing skills and captaincy. Having captained at various age-groups since a young age, Indrajith has been exceptional as a skipper in this tournament. He also caught attention in the 2015-16 Ranji Trophy thanks to his good performance which also included a century against Mumbai.

 

Even his 151 against Railways was a superb knock. The twins’ mother, Dr Revathy Baba, feels that it is a good thing that the two are competing against each other. She feels it will help them to understand where they stand.

 

“It is a nice feeling when you see your sons play, but seeing them in rival teams is a part of the game. I would want Inder (Indrajith’s) team to win so that the Warriors also equal the Veerans in the points table. But I’d be a neutral viewer,” said Revathy.

 

The brothers also complement each other exceptionally well. They can also predict each other’s game and this ‘it is all in the family’ clash is something you’d definitely not want to miss!