Powar, Samant, Sundaram in running for Mumbai Ranji coach job

Former off-spinner Ramesh Powar, stumper Vinayak Samant and pacer Pradeep Sundaram are front-runners as the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) will hold interviews to select the new coach for its Ranji team.

Interviews for the posts of the coaches of Ranji and U-19 teams will be held at 11 AM tomorrow, an MCA source told PTI.

After former India stumper Sameer Dighe and Satish Samant quit as the coach of the Ranji and U-19 team, respectively, the MCA sought applications to fill the two posts.

Former India stumper Ajay Ratra, former first class players Nandan Phadnis and Pradeep Gandhe had also applied for the position of Ranji team coach.

Sources said that after the Cricket Improvement Committee (CIC) decided to extend the deadline for submitting the applications till yesterday, former first class pacer Pradeep Sundaram also jumped into the fray for the Ranji coach's post.

It is also learnt that so far Ratra has not been invited by the cricket body for an interview.

"Powar, Samant and Sundaram have been called for the interview," an MCA insider said.

Sundaram, a former first class cricketer, had coached Rajasthan in the past.

Among those who have applied for the position of the U-19 coach is former first class player Kiran Powar.