Matthew Hayden has shared a special bond with the city of Chennai and that fact was affirmed when he walked into the Forum Vijaya Mall, Vadapalani on Monday. A huge crowd welcomed the Australian southpaw with a roar. Even after years away from the game, he remains a popular figure in the city. That bond has only grown stronger with his association with the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TN Premier League).
Former India cricketer, Laxman Sivaramakrishnan and Hayden then indulged in an interesting chat about the sport during the event. Hayden started talking about Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and the pleasant memories he shared with the franchise.
There was a huge roar when he said, “They can’t keep us away from the game. If there is no CSK, we will come back as TNPL.” During a fun session, Hayden answered a barrage of questions from the fans and also happily obliged a few autograph requests.
When asked about the batsmen and a bowler he’d pick for a Super Over, Hayden was quick to name Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and David Warner. Mustafizur Rahman, who had a fabulous Indian Premier League (IPL) 2016, was Hayden’s bowling choice to defend a score in the Super Over.
The crowd was at its loudest when Hayden mentioned his CSK captain MS Dhoni, describing him as someone with a splendid vision for both the national and IPL sides. The likes of Rohit Sharma, Mitchell Starc, Suresh Raina, Ravichandran Ashwin featured in Hayden’s T20 XI.
The two-time World Cup winner stated that he loves innovation in the game and said that he would love to see how TNPL players grab the opportunity to shine on a good platform. Hayden believed that there is a plethora of talent involved in the TNPL, trained by some veterans of the game and he hoped that the tournament would unearth superstars during its upcoming inaugural edition.
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