The 25-year-old has played three ODIs and one T20I for the UAE but has shifted base to Chennai. A mystery spinner and left-handed batter, Ashwant recently scored a century in the TNCA first division league for Swaraj CC.
The other high-profile buys were U. Mukilesh, whom Nellai Royal Kings acquired for Rs 13.70 lakh, and former TN Ranji Player Siddarth Mahadevan (earlier known as Bharath Shankar), whom Madurai Panthers acquired for Rs 8.70 lakh.
The Panthers also secured promising mystery spinner Rohan Ravi Bhutra for Rs 55,000. The 24-year-old has been a net bowler for the Gujarat Titans in the IPL and was previously part of the Dindigul Dragons.
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Meanwhile, two teams will compete under new names following changes in ownership. Madurai Panthers (formerly Siechem Madurai Panthers), which won the league in 2018, is now owned by US-based businessmen Radhakrishnan Gurusamy and Palani Gurusamy, who also hold stakes in English football club Leeds United, Scottish club Glasgow Rangers FC, and American baseball franchise (MLB), Texas Rangers.
Two-time champion Kovai Kings (formerly Lyca Kovai Kings) is now owned by Chennai-based firm Nagal Comtech.
TNCA President T.J. Srinivasa Raj expressed confidence that TNPL will be a successful event despite revenue constraints following the ban on real-money gaming sites, which had been one of the biggest backers of the teams in the last few years.
“We have reduced the auction purse to ensure the teams are not stretched financially. With YouTube as a streaming partner, we hope to reach a wider audience than before, which could help the league. On the cricketing side, we are focused on giving good pitches so that we have exciting cricket, and our players can go to the next level,” said Srinivasa Raj.
Published on Jul 03, 2026
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