The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) launched the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) in 2016 to provide a platform for upcoming cricketers from the state.
Now, the league has become a top T20 domestic tournament in India, with many big stars competing in the TNPL.
The 8-team tournament has witnessed many thrilling matches, with each team looking to pounce on one another. With a lot of fierce competition among the teams, the TNPL dishes out mouthwatering final clashes.
Here, we’ll look at the TNPL winners year by year from 2016 to the present.
TNPL Winners: Year by Year
| Year | Winners | Runner Up |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Tuti Patriots | Chepauk Super Gillies |
| 2017 | Chepauk Super Gillies | Tuti Patriots |
| 2018 | Siechem Madurai Panthers | Dindigul Dragons |
| 2019 | Chepauk Super Gillies | Dindigul Dragons |
| 2021 | Chepauk Super Gillies | Trichy Warriors |
| 2022 | Chepauk Super Gillies & Lyca Kovai Kings | – |
| 2023 | Lyca Kovai Kings | Nellai Royal Kings |
| 2024 | Dindigul Dragons | Lyca Kovai Kings |
Also Read | Major League Cricket (MLC) Winners List from 2023 to Date
2016 | Tuti Patriots
The inaugural season of the TNPL took place in August-September 2016. Tuti Patriots and Chepauk Super Gillies played the opening match on August 24 and rounded off the tournament on September 18 by taking on each other in the final.
Led by Dinesh Karthik, the Patriots decided to bat first and hammered 215 runs. Openers Kaushik Gandhi (59 off 43) and Abhinav Mukund (82* off 52) provided a blistering start, while keeper-captain Dinesh Karthik (55 off 26) gave the perfect finishing touches.
In response, Chepauk lost 4 wickets in the first over itself, as the Patriots Ganesh Moorthi bagged a hat-trick. Even before Chepauk could challenge the Patriots, they were thrown out of the competition.
The Patriots bowlers wrapped up Chepauk for 93 runs, winning the match by 122 runs. With that, Tuti Patriots were crowned the champions of the inaugural TNPL season.
2017 | Chepauk Super Gillies
The 2017 TNPL final saw a rematch of the previous edition’s summit clash, although this time, Chepauk came on top of the Patriots.
Batting first, Tuti Patriots mustered 143 runs in 20 overs, with Abhinav Mukund (41 off 38) being the top scorer. In reply, Chepauk got off to a decent start, with openers putting up a partnership of 46 runs.
Chepauk were steady in the chase, as H. Gopinath cruised to his fifty. Later, captain Rajgopal Sathish (23 off 16) and Vasanth Saravanan (23 off 10) finished the chase with an over to spare.
Chepauk won the match by 6 wickets and got their hands on the trophy for the first time.
2018 | Siechem Madurai Panthers
The 2018 TNPL final was a low-scoring affair involving Dindigul Dragons and Siechem Madurai Panthers.
After being put in to bat first, Dindigul were bowled out on 117 runs, with Madurai’s Abhishek Tanwar (4/30), Lokesh Raj (3/31), and Varun Chakravarthy (2/9) sharing the spoils.
In defence, Dindigul reduced Madurai to 2 runs for 3 wickets in the first over. However, Arun Karthik (75* off 50) and Shijit Chandran (38 off 49) took Madurai home with 7 wickets to spare.
Siechem Madurai Panthers won the TNPL in their very first season by beating Dindigul Dragons.
2019 | Chepauk Super Gillies
Dindigul Dragons made it to their second consecutive final to take on the 2017 champions, Chepauk Super Gillies.
Chepauk elected to bat first but put up a below-par total of 126 on the board. The target wasn’t big, but Dindigul didn’t get the desired start, losing 3 wickets for 4 runs in 3 overs.
Dindigul’s middle order tried to steer the chase, but they couldn’t finish the job, handing Chepauk their second TNPL title.
2021 | Chepauk Super Gillies
After a gap of a year, the TNPL returned in 2021 with its fifth season. The defending champions, Chepauk Super Gillies, squared off in the final against Ruby Trichy Warriors.
After being asked to bat first, Chepauk posted a challenging 183 runs on the board, riding on the back of Narayan Jagadeesan’s 90 off 58.
In response, Trichy got off to a rocking start, reaching 89 for 3 at the halfway mark. However, they lost 3 wickets in the middle, pushing them back in the chase.
Trichy needed 13 runs in the last over, but they managed to scamper only 4 singles. Chepauk won the final by 8 runs and were crowned champions for the third time.
2022 | Chepauk Super Gillies & Lyca Kovai Kings
Rain played spoilsport in the 2022 TNPL final, resulting in Chepaul Super Gillies and Lyca Kovai Kings being adjudged as the joint-winners.
After a rain delay, the final was reduced to 17 overs per side affair. Chepauk invited the Kovai Kings to bat first.
Sai Sudharsan top-scored (65 off 42) for the Kovai Kings, helping them reach 138 runs. With Chepauk 4 overs into the chase, rain put a stop to the play once again.
The game couldn’t resume, ending with no result, with both teams declared joint-winners.
2023 | Lyca Kovai Kings
The 2023 TNPL final put 2 Kings — Lyca Kovai Kings and Nellai Royal Kings — against each other.
The Kovai Kings elected to bat first and blasted 205 runs in 20 overs, with Suresh Kumar, U Mukilesh, and Atheeq Ur Rahman scoring a fifty each.
Nellai Royal Kings were no challenge to the Kovai Kings, as they were bundled out for 101 runs in 15 overs. Lyca Kovai Kings won the final by 104 runs, clinching the TNPL trophy for the second time.
2024 | Dindigul Dragons
Dindigul Dragons had come close to winning the TNPL trophy a couple of times in past but fell short on both occasions in the finals. But this time, the Dragons changed the picture.
In a low-scoring affair, the Dragons elected to bowl first and restricted Lyca Kovai Kings 129 for 7. With a 130-run target to chase, the Dragons lost 2 wickets early, but Ravichandran Ashwin played a captain’s knock.
The Indian spinner’s 52, along with Baba Indrajith’s 32 and Sarath Kumar’s 27, took the Dragons home, handing them their maiden TNPL title.
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