Shahrukh Khan, captain of two-time TNPL champion Kovai Kings, expressed confidence in delivering a good show in the 10th edition.
Event Context
Having lost some of his key members at last year’s auction, Shahrukh said that the side was focused on rebuilding its nucleus. The core is set to include R.S. Ambrish, who was part of the India under-19 World Cup-winning squad earlier in the year.
“Yeah, it’s good to have people from u-19s come and play. They’ve seen the pressure. They’ve played finals in u-19s. Obviously, this pressure is a bit more than what it is there. But still, these guys respond well to any situation that’s given to them,” Shahrukh remarked.
Player Focus
The Kovai franchise finished sixth last year, failing to advance to the playoffs for the first time since 2021. But the skipper believed that the team, playing under a new ownership and rebranded as Vida Kovai Kings, had all the ingredients to put up a much better performance.
A settled core of players helped Kings win the title in 2022 (shared with Chepauk Super Gillies) and 2023 and led them to a runner-up finish in 2024.
Team Analysis
“I always try to pick a young team, and we’ve done that this year as well. There’s a new face to the franchise with new owners. We all feel that we have a team which can qualify. After that, it is just one game at a time,” said Shahrukh at the jersey unveiling event on Tuesday.