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Lyca Kovai Kings
Dindigul Dragons
The Tamil Nadu Premier League 2025 will begin on June 5, with defending champions Dindigul Dragons taking on Lyca Kovai Kings in the opening match at the SNR College Cricket Stadium in Coimbatore.
Dindigul Dragons will enter this season with confidence after finally winning their first title last year. Lyca Kovai Kings lost to them in the final and will look to start strong and settle scores early. Both teams have shared wins in their last 4 head-to-head games, with 2 victories each.
The pitch at Coimbatore will once again favour chasing sides. In the previous season, teams batting second won 5 of the 7 completed matches at this venue. A total between 170 and 180 will likely be competitive, especially under lights.
This match will set the tone for the rest of the tournament, and both teams will want to begin with a strong performance.
Dindigul Dragons have a stronger bowling attack on paper with Varun Chakravarthy, R Ashwin, and Periyaswamy all carrying solid TNPL experience and form.
The betting tip is...
Top Bowler Team - Dindigul Dragons
61 %
39 %
Lyca Kovai KingsDindigul DragonsDindigul Dragons will begin their title defence with a settled squad. Last season, they finished fourth in the group stage but went on to win all their playoff matches, ultimately lifting the trophy. Most of their key players will return this year.
Shivam Singh will remain the key batter. He scored 364 runs from 9 innings last season at an average of 45 and a strike rate of 135. Baba Indrajith and Ravichandran Ashwin also made valuable contributions, both scoring over 250 runs. Indrajith will likely control the middle overs again.
Varun Chakaravarthy and Sandeep Warrier will lead the bowling attack. Both picked up 12 wickets each last season. Chakaravarthy will enter this tournament in top form after shining in the IPL and helping India win the Champions Trophy. Ashwin and Ganeshan Periyaswamy will support with the ball.
Chakravarthy, Ashwin and Periyaswamy are the key bowlers.
Predicted Lineup: Vimal Khumar, Shivam Singh, Ravichandran Ashwin (c), Baba Indrajith (wk), Maan Bafna, Hunny Saini, M Karthik Saran, Sandeep Warrier, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ganeshan Periyaswamy, Dinesh H or Viju Arul.
Lyca Kovai Kings will begin the new season aiming to go one step further after topping the group stage in 2024 with 6 wins in 7 matches. Their only 2 losses last year came against Dindigul Dragons, including the final.
This time, they will be without Sai Sudharsan, who was their top scorer last season and will miss out due to national commitments. Captain Shahrukh Khan will have more responsibility with the bat. He scored 225 runs in 7 innings last year, averaging 45 with a strike rate of 183. Balasubramaniam Sachin, K Vishal Vaidhya, and Suresh Lokeshwar will support the middle order.
Jhathavedh Subramanyan will lead the bowling unit again after picking up 8 wickets at an economy rate of 6.09 last season. M Siddharth will provide left-arm spin, while Guru Raghavendran and Govinth G will offer variety in the pace department.
Shahrukh, Siddharth & Bhuvaneswaran are the key players.
Predicted Lineup: Shahrukh Khan (c), Balasubramaniam Sachin, Jitendra Kumar, K Vishal Vaidhya, Suresh Lokeshwar (wk), Pradheep Vishal, Ramalingam Rohit, Jhathavedh Subramanyan, M Siddharth, P Bhuvaneswaran, Ambrish R S.
This match will be a close one, but Dindigul Dragons could have the edge with their bowling strength. Varun Chakravarthy is coming into the TNPL after a strong IPL season, where he picked up 17 wickets in 13 games. Ravichandran Ashwin has 30 wickets in 27 TNPL matches and brings plenty of experience.
Ganeshan Periyaswamy has also been reliable in this league, taking 48 wickets in 36 matches. With Sandeep Warrier adding more depth, Dindigul have a solid bowling unit that can control the game in key phases. If their bowlers stick to their strengths, they could end up being the difference in this match.
