The Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) is a men's Twenty20 (T20) cricket league that is annually held in the state of Tamil Nadu in India and contested by eight city-based franchise teams. The league was formed in 2016 by the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA). It is usually played during post summer season from June to August of every year. Shriram Group is the current title sponsor of the tournament.

As of 2023, there have been seven seasons of the tournament. The present title holder is Lyca Kovai Kings.Chepauk Super Gillies are the most successful team after winning the title four times.

History

Background

In 2016, the TNPL was launched at the time when Chennai Super Kings, the Tamil Nadu franchise playing Indian Premier League (IPL), was facing a two-year suspension from the league. The league was aimed to make up for the absence of high-profile matches in Chennai in the year and to expose talented players from districts. It was conceived by former BCCI president and then TNCA president N. Srinivasan.

Franchise rights

On 1 May 2016, TNCA invited bidders for the eight franchise rights. A total of 17 bidders participated in the bidding process and current members of TNCA were not allowed to participate. The base price set for each franchise was 1.25 crore (US$160,000) for a period of 10 years. The franchise rights was sold for 33.51 crore (US$4.2 million) and the highest bidder chose Salem for 5.21 crore (US$650,000).

Winning bidders
Owner Franchise Price
Vivo South Chennai distributor Selvakumar Salem Spartans 5.21 crore (US$650,000)
Metronation Chennai Chepauk Super Gillies 5.13 crore (US$640,000)
Lyca Productions Lyca Kovai Kings 5.01 crore (US$630,000)
Kothari (Madras) Ltd. Madurai Panthers 4.001 crore (US$500,000)
Drumstick Productions Ba11sy Trichy 3.69 crore (US$460,000)
Crown Forts Ltd. Nellai Royal Kings 3.48 crore (US$440,000)
Take Solutions Ltd Dindigul Dragons 3.42 crore (US$430,000)
I Dream cinemas iDream Tiruppur Tamizhans 3.3 crore (US$410,000)

Foundation

On 16 August 2016, the first edition was inaugurated by MS Dhoni in Chennai. The first edition featured international cricketers including Ravichandran Ashwin, Murali Vijay, Dinesh Karthik and Lakshmipathy Balaji. Former cricketers Robin Singh and Michael Bevan were among the coaches. Matthew Hayden was the brand ambassador of the league. No players representing other state associations participated in the inaugural season as they were not given permission at the time by the BCCI. Star Sports were the TV broadcasters. The first season was played from 24 August to 18 September.

Chepauk Super Gillies is a professional cricket team based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. The team was founded in 2016 and plays in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL), a Twenty20 cricket league in India. The team is owned by Metronation Chennai Television Pvt Ltd and is named after the famous Chepauk Stadium in Chennai.

The team is known for its strong batting and bowling line-up, with some of the best players in the TNPL. The team is captained by Kaushik Gandhi, a talented batsman who has been a consistent performer for the team. The team also has some experienced players like Vijay Shankar, who has played for the Indian cricket team, and Murugan Ashwin, a talented spinner.

The team has a strong fan base in Chennai and is known for its aggressive and entertaining style of play. The team has won the TNPL championship once, in 2017, and has been a consistent performer in the league. The team's home ground is the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, which is also known as the Chepauk Stadium.

Overall, Chepauk Super Gillies is a strong and competitive team in the TNPL, with a talented squad and a passionate fan base. The team is always a tough opponent for any team in the league and is known for its entertaining brand of cricket.