From setbacks to TNPL showstopper: Inside Tiruppur Tamizhans’ opener Amit Sathvik’s rebuild

In 2023, Tiruppur Tamizhans opener V.P. Amit Sathvik hit a rough patch — not against bowlers, but within himself. Typecast as a hard-hitter, he could get quick 30s and 40s but struggled to bat long. That’s when the MRF Pace Foundation stepped in, and the rebuild began.

“I faced a huge setback. I was able to post 30s and 40s, as I’m someone who likes to stay ahead of the bowler, taking him on. But I wasn’t able to bat longer because of my aggression,” he says.

Given a second chance at the academy, he made it count — scoring 499 runs in eight innings for Globe Trotters Sports Club at the Raja of Palayampatti Shield, TNCA’s first division tournament.

It marked the return of timing and intent.

“The most I’ve worked on in the last 12 months is my mindset. RX (RX Muralidhar, Tiruppur’s coach) sir has taught me a lot… He helped me change my approach in white-ball cricket,” Sathvik reveals.

That turnaround now fuels Tiruppur’s charge in TNPL 2025.

Breaking the unbeaten Giants

The Chepauk Super Gillies (CSG), the league’s most decorated side, had gone seven-for-seven in the group stage. It looked set for another final — until it ran into Tiruppur in Qualifier 1.

And it was the opening pair of Sathvik and Tushar Raheja who did the damage — again.

The duo has contributed a combined 382 runs at the top this season. Raheja leads the scoring charts with 411 runs, while Sathvik has chipped in with 275 runs from eight matches. When they add 50-plus, Tiruppur wins — five out of eight times, to be precise.

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“Our success is because of a simple formula. We don’t plan much before games, but we adapt depending upon how the opposition bowlers perform on matchday,” says Amit.

“Whoever can strike well should face the maximum number of balls. We also try to target the opposition’s best bowler and take him on to lower their confidence. Deep down we know that if we both stay for 10 overs, it’s game over for the opposition.”

This season, Sathvik has scored three half centuries at a strike rate of 130.95, averaging 45.83. His latest knock? A 40-ball 57 against CSG — the league’s most consistent bowling unit.

Prodigy to mainstay

Sathvik is only 22, but already a TNPL veteran. He broke into the league at 17, first picked by the now-defunct Ruby Trichy Warriors after trials. He credits Tamil Nadu spinner R. Sai Kishore for spotting him early.

“When I was around 17 years old, I got to know that I might get an opportunity to play in the TNPL. As I was too young, I couldn’t understand the enormity of playing in such a league,” he says.

Sathvik broke into the TNPL at 17, first picked by the now-defunct Ruby Trichy Warriors after trials.
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SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

“I have to thank Sai anna especially since he was the one who noticed me when I went for trials at Ruby (Trichy Warriors). I was eventually picked in the auction ahead of the 2021 season.”

He wasn’t even in the team’s plans initially. A last-minute injury to S. Santosh Shiv, the designated opener, gave him a break. In the two seasons at Trichy, he amassed 332 runs in 16 innings.

Since then, he has turned out for Salem Spartans (47 runs in 5 innings), and now Tiruppur — always opening, always evolving.

Belief starts from home

Unlike many young players who face resistance from home, Sathvik had a family that believed.

“I got into cricket because of my dad. He was a batter who could bowl a bit. However, he was unable to pursue cricket as a profession. So he wanted me to become what he couldn’t.”

Amit Sathvik (R) and his brother NP Akki Sharavanth (L) with their father VV Prabhakaran, who was the inspiration behind Sathvik’s cricket career.
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SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Born in Madurai, he played in local leagues before the family moved to Chennai for better opportunities. There, he played in U12 leagues, changed schools multiple times to juggle cricket and attendance requirements, and eventually switched to the National Institute of Open Schooling — “working from home before it was cool,” he laughs.

He represented Tamil Nadu at the U14, U16, and U19 levels, playing alongside the likes of B. Sai Sudharsan.

On his own terms

For someone who has weathered pressure from a young age, Sathvik’s clarity is striking. He’s not looking to follow anyone else’s career path — and he’s not interested in hero worship either.

“I don’t want to follow anyone’s footsteps. Even now, I don’t take inspiration from outside. I don’t have an idol, not even Virat Kohli. That’s how I carry myself, and I try to carve my niche,” he says.

And with a TNPL final in sight and a career once again on the rise, it seems like that niche is starting to look a lot like the spotlight.