Sai Kishore and Sanjay Yadav the headline acts in the second TNPL player auction

Chennai: R. Sai Kishore and R. Sanjay Yadav fetch record sums in Tamil Nadu Premier League player auctions.

R. Sai Kishore and R. Sanjay Yadav were the big winners in the second Tamil Nadu Premier League player auction, with both players fetching a record sum of Rs. 22 lakh on Wednesday.

A total of 61 players were sold in the auction ahead of the eighth season to be held later this year. IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans brought back Sai Kishore, and R. Sanjay Yadav will turn out for Trichy Grand Cholas after being with Chepauk Super Gillies last year.

Incidentally, last year, B. Sai Sudharsan became the costliest player when Lyca Kovai Kings — now the defending champion — shelled out Rs. 22 lakh for the left-handed opener.

The Tiruppur side also acquired left-arm pacer T. Natarajan for Rs. 11.25 lakh, who turned out for the Trichy team last year, while all-rounder S. Harish Kumar got a huge bid of Rs. 15.40 lakh from Salem Spartans. The Spartans also got the big-hitting R. Vivek for a considerable sum of Rs. 11 lakh.

Some other big winners were all-rounder Abhishek Tanwar, who went to Chepauk Super Gillies for Rs. 12.20 lakh, pacer Sandeep Warrier (Dindigul Dragons, Rs. 10.50 lakh) and R.S. Mokit Hariharan (Nellai Royal Kings, Rs. 10.20 lakh).

Dragons skipper R. Ashwin said, “We wanted one marquee fast bowler and were looking at Sandeep Warrier or T. Natarajan based on who came first on the list. We are delighted we got Sandeep.”

The 2024 edition of the TNPL will be held from July 5 to August 4, with the league phase to be played in four cities: Dindigul, Tirunelveli, Salem and Coimbatore. The second eliminator and the final will be played in Chennai at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, marking TNPL’s return to the city for the first time since 2021.