New rule allows TNPL teams to register three outstation players

Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) was established by the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) in last year. The first edition of the tournament was a success given a lot of players emerged to push above their weights for the teams and caught the eye of IPL talent scouts to earn themselves some really good contracts. It was modelled on the lines of the IPL. Till the last season, only players registered under the TNCA were allowed to participate in the league but things have changed this time.

Draft for the second season

The date for the registration of the players for the draft scheduled to be held on June 23 has been extended from June 10 and now the deadline for registration has been pushed to June 15.

“The draft is scheduled to be held on June 23. As there is still close to three weeks to go for the draft, we have extended the deadline for the registration to June 15. We will have sufficient time to prepare the players’ list for the draft,” a top official was quoted by TOI.

Drafting of ‘Outstation’ players

New rules have been framed this time which allows teams to draft in as many as 3 ‘outstation’ players in their team. Players not registered in Tamil Nadu have termed as the ‘outstation’ players. According to reports, franchises are allowed to register 3 outstation players of which 2 can be part of the playing XI.

“The salary cap remains the same as to what has been mentioned in the TNPL registration form. No special changes have been made for outstation players and they will also be picked in the draft. The maximum salary for a capped outstation player will be Rs 5 lakh and for a player who has represented his state in RanjiList AT20 it will be Rs 2.5 lakh,” the official further added.

With maximum salary being 5 lakhs which is meagre considering the riches of the IPL, it might be difficult for the organisers to attract the top players to the league. Clarifying this, the official added that it’s more about ‘exposure’ than money, he further added that few young stars from different states have already shown interest in joining the TNPL.