A well thought-out move: Aparajith on his new role

B. Aparajith pulled a rabbit out of the hat when he made himself unavailable for the Tamil Nadu Premier League Season 10 despite not nursing an injury.

The 32-year-old surprised the Tamil Nadu cricket community again by signing up as mentor for his former TNPL franchise Chepauk Super Gillies. But it seems that the decision to transition from a player to a support-staff member in the league was brewing for quite some time.

Aparajith, who led Super Gillies in two seasons (2024 and 2025), described the move as a “well thought-out” one. “I was thinking about it for a long time,” he said on the sidelines of the Super Gillies-iDream Tiruppur Tamizhans game here on Friday.

“It (the change) has been smooth so far, and I have been enjoying it. After a long time, I have taken up a different role. I am watching the action from the sidelines rather than being on the field. I am used to being there. TNPL is always special to me… batting in the middle, hitting fours and sixes. Everyone will have such dreams, but it was a well thought-out call.”

It is safe to say that Aparajith has a magnetic pull in the CSG dressing room. “Many players are approachable and have been asking me a lot of questions. I have been sharing whatever inputs I have. I am enjoying helping the boys,” he added.

It will be interesting to see which hat he dons next.