The Thoothukudi Sports and Entertainment Pvt. Ltd, which made the highest bid (5.21 crore) and secured the ownership rights of the Thoothukudi team for the upcoming Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) has dubbed its team the ‘TUTI Patriots’.
The big bid by Albert Muralidharan, the Head of the Sports and Entertainment Company, took everybody by surprise but not the Thoothukudi-based business man.
He knew from the start what he was up to and quite rightly topped the bid chart for the inaugural edition. The TNPL is the maiden event for the company which was formed earlier this year. And, Muralidharan wants to make a strong first impression and, with it, raise the standard of cricket in his hometown.
The team’s logo is quite nicely done and appealing to the eyes. Muralidharan told The Hindu that the logo represents the elements (Palmyra, Pearl, Soil and Sea) that symbolises the district.
The stalk of the palmyra trees (the State tree) are designed to depict the slogan of the team TNP ( Thoothukudi Namma Payaluga ), of which the letter 'N' is deliberately split to represent the stumps. The Pearl above it represents the ball and the background colour the typical red loamy soil found throughout southern districts. The team’s name is a tribute to the numerous fighters and patriots who hailed from the southern districts such as Kattabomman, Bharathiyar, V.O. Chidambaram and Vaanjinathan.
The team is expected to finalise the title sponsor shortly and it will be prefixed before the team’s name. The management has already decided on the support staff and the agreement for the same will be done in a couple of days.
Mrugang Desai has been roped in as the team’s mentor. Former Ranji player J.R. Madanagopal, who had shaped the fortunes of Vijay CC, the first division side, will be the coach. His brother D.J. Gokulakrishnan, former Tamil Nadu all-rounder, will be the bowling coach. The team management is confident that the duo’s rich experience is sure to work wonders for the team. C. Madhusudhan will be the Team Manager and Sudharshan its Marketing Manager.
The Thoothukudi think-thank plans to have a mix of top stars and performers from the districts for the team. It may also open its doors for the sons of its soil. A minimum of two players is what the team has in mind. It may not be only from Thoothukudi but also from the neighbouring districts such as Ramanathapuram, Virudhunagar, Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari.
