The last edition of the TNPL saw the Dindigul Dragons lift their first trophy after missing the silverware twice in 2018 and 2019. We had seen intense competition between the teams and expect the same this year. Much will change as the eight franchises release some players and rope fresh blood into the side. We will keep a close eye on the personnel changes in the different teams and how they build up the game in the months ahead. The 2025 edition of the TNPL will be a recruitment ground for the IPL in the next season, as the talent spotters will look to hire some of the best-performing youngsters into their squad. Let us focus on the eight teams and see what's in store for them in the 2025 edition.
Lyca Kovai Kings
The Kovai Kings are one of the strongest contenders for the title every year. In seven out of eight seasons, the side has made the playoffs and won the title in 2022 and 2024. They dominated the tournament last season, finishing at the top of the points table, but had a poor outing against the Dindigul Dragons in the final, which denied them the third consecutive title. They are one of the strongest batting outfits this year, and the bowling attack also looks well-balanced. They will start as one of the favorites this year, and we expect fireworks from the players.
Squad - Shahrukh Khan (c), Aaditya B, Ambrish RS, Andre Siddarth C, Bhuvaneswaran P, Divakar R, Guru Jhathavedh Subramanyan, Kabilan N, Lokeshwar S, Madhava Prasad KTA, Rohit R, Sachin B, Sai Sudharsan, Shahrukh Khan, Siddharth M, Vidyuth P, Vishal Vaidhya K.
Nellai Royal Kings
They have earned the infamous tag of being the perennial bottom hunters of the points table. They finished runner-up in 2023, and that has been their biggest claim to fame. They would be eying their maiden title this year. The talent pool on the side for this season is exciting, and it will be the perfect opportunity for the Nellai Royal Kings to put up a stiff challenge. They will be eying a good start as this has been one of the problems for the side for most of its history in the league.
Squad - Arun Karthik (c), Ajay K. Krishnan, Ajitesh G., Arun Bala Yoghi A., Arun Karthik, Athish S.R., Emmanuel Cherian B., Harish N.S., Muhammed Adnan Khan, Nirmal Kumar P., Rithik Easwaran, Rocky B., Rohan J., Sachin Rathi, Santhosh Kumar D., Vijaya Kumar S., and Yudheeswaran V.
Dindigul Dragons
The side has big stars, but it has never achieved the kind of success that is expected from them. It was a great season for the side in 2023 when they finished second on the points table, winning all but one game in the group stage. However, when it came to the playoffs, they had a poor run with their form and lost both games. The Dragons would look to put this behind them as they start afresh. They have some of the best young talent in Tamil Nadu cricket and can go far if they execute their plans correctly.
Squad - Ravichandran Ashwin (c), Atul Maruti Vitkar, Baba Indrajith, Chandrasekar DT, Dinesh H, Hunny, Jayant RK, Karthik Saran M, Maan K Bafna, Periyasamy G, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Viju Arul M, and Vimal Khumar R
Chepauk Super Gillies
It was an average tournament for the most successful team in the tournament's history. The Super Gillies made it to the playoffs but lost in the Eliminator. They made a poor start last year and struggled with consistency, never looking like a contender for the title. They have won the title four times in 2017, 2019, 2021, and 2022. They will look to add another trophy to the cabinet. The team will be one of the tournament's favorites, and it has some of the biggest stars in Tamil Nadu cricket. They are known for playing aggressive cricket on the field, making them a side to watch out for.
Squad - Baba Aparajith (c), Aashiq K, Abhishek Tanwar, Akram Khan M, Arjun P Murthy, Aushik Srinivas R, Baba Aparajith, Dinesh Raj S, Jagadeesan N, Kirubakar R, Lokesh Raj TD, Mokit Hariharan RS, Prem Kumar J, Rajan R, Rohith Suthar S, Sachin B, Silambarasan M, Swapnil K Singh, Vijay Shankar
Siechem Madurai Panthers
They won the title in 2018 and have failed to replicate that success. It was a poor tournament for the team last year, where they finished 7th on the point table and failed to reach the playoffs. It will be interesting to see if they can repeat their success in 2018 and win the title in 2025. They have talented players in the squad and shall look to make it count this season. The team has lost important games in the last two years and must deliver a strong performance this season. Given the team's talent pool, we expect them to be one of the top contenders.
Squad - Aditya V, Ajay K Krishnan, Ashwin M, Ayush M, Gurjapneet Singh, Hari Nishaanth C, Kousik J, Lokeshwar S, Rahul D, Saravanan P, Sri Abisek AS, Swapnil K Singh, Washington Sundar MS, Chatruvedh NS, Sasidev. U, Alexander R, Kiran Akash, Ajay Chetan J, Karthik Manikandan VS, Akram Khan M
IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans
The side's dream has never come true, and the title eludes them. It was a good performance from the team last season, where they made it to the playoffs after a gap of five years. Inconsistency has been the biggest problem for the team, as they have always made slow starts in the tournament and failed to recover. They will draw positives from their good show last year. We will likely see more aggression in the team as the side has added to its batting strengths, and the players will go hard at bowling attacks.
Squad - Sai Kishore (c), Achyuth CV, Amith Sathvik VP, Anovankar V, Daryl S. Ferrario, Esakkimuthu A., Mathivanam M., Mohamed Ali S., Mohan Prasath S., Natrajan T., Prabanjan S., Pradosh Ranjan Paul, Pranav Raghvendra RD, Radhakrishnan, Rajkumar K., Sasidev U., Silambarasan R., Surya B., Tushar Raheja
Salem Spartans
It has been a downhill ride for the side, from winning the tournament in the inaugural edition to ending runner-up in the following one. They finished at the bottom of the points table last year with only one win in seven games. They have players who have done well at an individual level, but the side needs a better show as a unit to make an impact in the tournament. It will be interesting to see how well the new players fare in 2025.
Squad - Shijit Chandran (c), Abishek S, Ajith Ram, Boopathi Vaishna Kumar, Eswar M, Gowri Sankar J, Harish Kumar S, Kavin R, Karthick Manikandan VS, Mohammed M, Nidhish S Rajagopal, Pavithran R, Poiyamozhi M, Rahil Shah, Rahul D, Sudhan S Kandepan, Sunny Sandhu, Vivek R, and Yaz Arun Mozhi
Trichy Grand Chola
Formerly Ruby Trichy Warriors and Ba11sy Trichy, the name change has been the most notable thing about this franchise, with this being their fourth name! The side hopes that the name change will change their fortune. They finished 6th on the points table in 2024 and have made it beyond the group stages only once in the tournament. The side would aim to break this poor record and look for a good start. It will be important to see how the side performs in the initial stages.
Squad - Antony Dhas (c), Arya Yohan, Athisiyaraj Davidson, Easwaran K, Ganesh Moorthi, Jafar Jamal, Kousik J, Mukilesh U, Rajkumar R, Rejin J, Sanjay Yadav, Saravana Kumar, Selva Kumaran, Sujay S, Suresh Kumar, Vinod SP, Waseem Ahmed, and Washington Sundar
