Yusuf Pathan to feature in TNPL 2017 draft

India and Baroda hard-hitter Yusuf Pathan is all set to feature in the player’s draft for the upcoming second edition of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL). Yusuf who played for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the 10th season of the IPL moved to the franchise in 2011 and was an integral part ever since. For an initial couple of seasons, he was with the Rajasthan Royals and played a pivotal role in the team winning the inaugural IPL tournament in 2008.

Yusuf is looking forward to the tournament and wants to share his experience and insights of the game with the youngsters in the tournament having played a pivotal role for Team India, his IPL teams as well as for Baroda over the years.

Will do his best

“I am excited with this opportunity to play in the TNPL. It is a successful tournament, the last edition drew a lot of attention and quite a few young cricketers emerged from Tamil Nadu cricket,” Yusuf told CricTracker in an exclusive chat. “I am looking forward to TNPL 2017 and will do my best to ensure the best result for whichever team I am drafted to,” he said.

“This will also give me a chance to share my experience of having played at various levels with the budding cricketers which will help them as well as the team do well,” Yusuf added.

The TNPL attracted a lot of eyeballs in the very first edition with players like Murali Vijay, Dinesh Karthik, Abhinav Mukund, Lakshmipathy Balaji and Ravichandran Ashwin starring for their respective teams. For the upcoming edition, the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) has decided to open the doors for outstation players and teams might be allowed to include 3 such players in the squad and 2 in the XI.

A lot of players with national and international recognition are expected to star in the TNPL this time as the likes of Hardik, Krunal Pandya, Piyush Chawla, Jayant Yadav, Robin Bist, Sheldon Jackson, Basil Thampi, Gurkeerat Singh Mann and Jalaj Saxena.