CHENNAI: Former Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden paid a visit to temple town Madurai on Sunday as the second season of Tamil Nadu Premier League kicks off later this week. Hayden, one of the most popular figures in the state, visited the iconic Chandran mess in Madurai to relish a regal feast which included mutton biryani, chicken fry, crab fry, crab omelette, fish fry among others.

After that, Hayden was part of many events during the day. The southpaw, wearing a yellow tee and the traditional veshti, enthralled the guests by participating in a few special activities on stage at the Gandhi Memorial Museum. Hayden received a thundering reception as he made way on to the stage. Not only did he try speaking in Tamil, Hayden also went on to try his hand at ‘silambattam’ (stick-fighting).

Despite proclaiming that he had had a heavy lunch, Hayden didn’t shy away from being part of an idli-eating contest. However, the one contest in which Hayden proved to be a runaway winner was in doing push-ups. Still immensely fit at 45, Hayden outdid his younger opponents. That’s not all. The crowd was at their loudest when Hayden attempted to re-enact famous dialogues by actors Rajnikanth, Ajith and Vijay.

The second edition of the Tamil Nadu Premier Leaguewill get underway on July 22 with the defending champions Tuti Patriots locking horns with Dindigul Dragons at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. A total of 32 matches will be played in the season which will be held from July 22 to August 20.

Matthew Hayden gears up for India Cements TNPL 2017. (TOI Photo)