Tamil Nadu is the southernmost state of India. The tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population, Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language—one of the longest surviving classical languages in the world—is widely spoken in the state and serves as its official language. The capital and largest city is Chennai.
The Cheetahs, is a South African professional rugby union team based at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein. They have played Super Rugby between 2006 and 2017, then the Pro14 from 2017 to 2020, and currently the EPCR Challenge Cup since 2022.
Adam Antony Sinclair is an Indian field hockey player and from Tamil Nadu. Among other leading sporting events he was a member of the Indian field hockey team at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens and at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar.
Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium is a field hockey stadium at Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Named after M. Radhakrishna Pillai, it was the venue to the 1996 Men's Champions Trophy, and hosted the tournament again in December 2005. It was also the venue for 2007 edition of Asian Hockey Championship, in which India triumphed by a thumping margin of 7–2 over South Korea. The stadium is also the venue for all division matches of the Chennai Hockey Association and the home ground of the World Series Hockey team Chennai Cheetahs.
Brent James Livermore OAM is a field hockey midfielder from Australia. He was first selected in the Australian team in 1997, and was awarded the Kookaburras player of the year award in 2001. He was also nominated of the FIH Player of the Year awards in 2002 and 2005. He has played over 300 matches for the Australian team, and has scored 30 international goals. He plays for the NSW Waratahs in the Australian Hockey League.
Cricket is the most popular sport in Chennai. The M. A. Chidambaram Stadium is one of the oldest cricket stadiums in India and has been the venue for many notable milestones in the history of Indian cricket. Tennis, field hockey, football and formula racing and squash are the other popular sports. The city hosts an ATP tennis event, the Chennai Open. Chennai has a rich legacy in chess and has produced many well-known chess players, the most notable of them being Viswanathan Anand, the former multiple World Chess Champion.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is a professional cricket franchise based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, that competes in the Indian Premier League. Founded in 2008, the team plays its home matches at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The team is owned by India Cements through its Chennai Super Kings Cricket Limited holding company. They have won a record five IPL titles, appeared in a record 10 finals and have qualified for the playoff stages 12 times out of the 14 seasons they have played, more than any other team. The team has been captained by MS Dhoni since inception and is currently coached by Stephen Fleming. In January 2022, CSK became India's first unicorn sports enterprise.
Ravichandran Ashwin is an Indian international cricketer. He is a right-arm off spin bowler and a lower order batter. Widely regarded as one of the most prolific off spinners of all time, he represents the Indian cricket team and was part of the Indian team that won the 2011 Cricket World Cup and the 2013 Champions Trophy. He plays for Tamil Nadu and South Zone in domestic cricket and for Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Dennis Meredith, born in Adelaide, South Australia, is a former member of the Australia National Field Hockey Team playing 22 times for his country.
World Series Hockey (WSH) was a professional league for field hockey competition in India. It was organised by Indian Hockey Federation with the objective to reinvigorate hockey in India. It was contested among eight franchise-based teams consisting of players from India and around the world. The entire event took place on home and away basis culminating into multi header playoffs. Australian Dennis Meredith, a member of the FIH panel of tournament directors, was the technical director of the WSH. It was sponsored by tyre manufacturers, Bridgestone, and therefore officially known as Bridgestone World Series Hockey.
Delhi Wizards (DW) was an Indian professional field hockey team based in Delhi that played in World Series Hockey. Its captain was the Pakistani stryker Shakeel Abbasi. The team was owned by Wizcraft International and coached by Roelant Oltmans. Dhyan Chand National Stadium was the home ground of Delhi Wizards.
2012 World Series Hockey better known as Bridgestone World Series Hockey, abbreviated as Bridgestone WSH, was the first season of the hockey tournament World Series Hockey, a professional league for field hockey in India. The tournament was to take place from 17 December 2011 to 22 January 2012 but later was postponed to 29 February 2012 owing to Olympic qualifiers. Eight teams took part in this competition. The opening ceremony and the first match was held at Sector 42 Stadium, Chandigarh, where Bhopal Badshahs beat Chandigarh Comets 4–3.
Karnataka Lions was a professional field hockey team based in Bangalore, Karnataka that played in the World Series Hockey. The team was led by Indian hockey player Arjun Halappa and coached by former Indian captain Jude Felix. The team was owned by Sporting Ace Pvt. Ltd.. Bangalore Hockey Stadium was the home ground of Karnataka Lions.
Mumbai Marines (MM), initially known as Mumbai Warriors, was a professional field hockey team based in Mumbai, Maharashtra that played in the World Series Hockey. The team was owned by Ashish Bharatram and Harish Thawani. It was coached by Andrew Meredith. Mahindra Hockey Stadium served as the home ground of Mumbai Marines.
Pune Strykers was an Indian professional field hockey team based in Pune, Maharashtra that played in the World Series Hockey. The team was owned by Sai Grace Sports & Events Private Limited. PCMC Hockey Stadium in Pune is the home ground of Pune Strykers.
Chandigarh Comets (CCO) was an Indian professional field hockey team based in Chandigarh that played in World Series Hockey. Pakistani striker Rehan Butt was the captain of the team and Harendra Singh was the coach. Sector 42 Stadium was the home ground of Chandigarh Comets.
Sher-e-Punjab was an Indian professional field hockey team named after Sher-e-Punjab and based in Jalandhar, Punjab that played in World Series Hockey. The team was led by Indian forward Prabhjot Singh and coached by former Indian coach Rajinder Singh. Surjeet Hockey Stadium in Jalandhar served as the home ground of Sher-e-Punjab.
Many sports are played by the people of Tamil Nadu including both traditional sports and sports from other countries.
The Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) is a men's Twenty20 (T20) cricket league that is annually held in the state of Tamil Nadu in India and contested by eight city-based franchise teams. The league was formed in 2016 by the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA). It is usually played during post summer season from June to August of every year. Shriram Group is the current title sponsor of the tournament.
