Page 8 - Domestic Cricket

Returning Wriddhiman Saha vows to "give more than 100 per cent" for Bengal

Making a comeback to his home state Bengal two years after a public fallout, veteran Wriddhiman Saha on Tuesday sounded a touch emotional and said he "never looked at the past and focused on what lies in the present". Saha, who will turn 40 later this year, has agreed to return to his home state after a "friendly discussion" with former India captain Sourav Ganguly and his wife Romi. For starters, Saha will be the marquee player for the Rashmi Medinipur Wizards in the Bengal Pro T20 league, which began at Eden Gardens on Tuesday. "I have not yet met the CAB officials, but went to the dressing room during practice and the colours of the chairs have changed. It looks different," Saha said emotionally during his first media interaction after returning to Bengal from Tripura. "I never looked at the past; I always lived in the present. I've started my journey from here. Now that I'm back, I will try my best to get an opportunity in the Bengal side. "But at the moment, the focus is on t

Sourav Ganguly asks Wriddhiman Saha to play 'one last match' for Bengal

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has asked aggrieved veteran stumper Wriddhiman Saha to play "one last match" for his home state Bengal before calling it quits, Tripura Cricket Association joint secretary Jayanta Dey said on Monday. The 39-year-old, who joined Tripura after a rift with some Cricket Association of Bengal officials in 2022, met Ganguly here. "Ganguly wants Saha to retire for Bengal, playing at least one last match. Saha told me this. But he's yet to ask for an NOC (no objection certificate) from Tripura," Dey told PTI. "We have recently given NOC to Sudip Chatterjee who is set for a Bengal return, but Saha has not asked for it as of now," he added. It remains to be seen if Saha may turn up for Siliguri Strikers in the Bengal Pro T20 franchise league beginning on June 11, even as the players draft for the teams are over. Their meeting comes two years after Saha had hit out against the Ganguly-led BCCI after he was not picked for the India home Test series against

BCCI announces reforms for 2024-25 domestic season, Ranji to be two-phased

Also, in the CK Nayadu Trophy, a domestic-level under-23 state tournament, a new point system will be introduced to make sure performances get more balanced

IPL 2024: PBKS' Shashank Singh lists reasons for unknown players' success

Self-belief and the rigours of domestic cricket are the reasons behind unknown players' success in the ongoing Indian Premier League, said Punjab Kings cricketer Shashank Singh, who made yet another statement with the bat against Sunrisers Hyderabad here. Chasing 183 for victory, Shashank smashed an unbeaten 46 off 25 deliveries to nearly pull off another heist for PBKS partnering Ashutosh Sharma (33 off 15 balls) but the team fell short by two just runs on Tuesday. Shashank's plucky innings came on the back of an unbeaten 61, which had helped PBKS pull off a thrilling three-wicket win against Gujarat Titans on April 4 in a high-scoring match. Despite the loss, Shashank received praise from all quarters for showing faith in his abilities. "The only thing is self-belief. Like the way we play domestic cricket. Like you see SRH's Nitish (Reddy) here. He usually scores and takes wickets in white-ball and red-ball cricket (in domestic competitions)," said Shashank, decoding the mantra .

Shashank Singh to Mayank Yadav: IPL 2024's top 5 uncapped Indian performers

Mayank Yadav with his speed, Yash Thakur with his accuracy, and Riyan Parag with his consistency have added more flavour of domestic cricket to the league

Star Sports witnesses a 24% increase in IPL build-up programming

Star Sports will launch a special feed for hearing-impaired and visually-impaired fans

BCCI set to bar state units from direct tie-up with foreign cricket boards

The BCCI is set to bar state associations from directly engaging with foreign boards for organising training camps and competitions, making it mandatory for them to route all such proposals through the parent body. The decision will be taken at the board's Apex Council meeting on March 18. The BCCI was forced to take the decision after a host of state units, including the Delhi and Puducherry, held talks with foreign boards, mainly the associate nations, for hosting them on exposure trips. It could be confirmed that Delhi and Districts Cricket Association has received a proposal from the Nepal board. "State units can surely partner foreign boards for cricket related activities but those agreements have to be facilitated by the BCCI as it is the parent body. All proposals must go through BCCI," said a BCCI source. In the upcoming Apex Council meeting, there will be a discussion on "state cricket associations collaborating with foreign boards for organising cricket", following which

Ranji Trophy Final: Defiant Vidarbha prolong Mumbai's wait for 42nd title

A dogged fightback from Vidarbha, led by Karun Nair (74) and skipper Akshay Wadkar (56 not out), prolonged Mumbai's wait for a 42nd Ranji Trophy title as the visiting side reached 248/5 in pursuit of a mammoth 538 on the fourth and penultimate day of the final here on Wednesday. Set an improbable target to win the summit clash after being outplayed since the first day afternoon, Vidarbha put up a resolute show with the bat to frustrate their hosts by resorting to stonewalling for the majority of the day. Nair, who joined the Vidarbha ranks only at the start of this season, was at the forefront of their resistance as he faced as many as 220 balls while batting for 287 minutes to keep Mumbai at bay. But the right-handed batter ultimately fell to the brilliance of Musheer Khan late in the day, with the 19-year-old producing a superb bowling show after setting up the game with 136 in the second innings. Nair's skipper Wadkar was batting on 56 with Harsh Dubey (11 not out) for company.

Ranji Trophy Final: Rohit, Tendulkar give importnace to domestic cricket

Red-ball cricket needed it, Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma wanted it. The growing emphasis on the importance of domestic cricket and red-ball games got another shot in the arm with Tendulkar and Rohit attending the third day's play during the Ranji Trophy final between Mumbai and Vidarbha here on Tuesday. Coming off an excellent 4-1 series win over England with a depleted Indian side and heading into IPL 2024 season, Rohit appeared relaxed and was spotted in the Mumbai dressing room during the afternoon, with the dominant hosts running away with the contest on the field. Rohit was seen scrolling through his phone while also chatting with Mumbai teammates including Shardul Thakur, but how did the India skipper made his way to the domestic giants' dressing room with a phone while not being a part of the squad remained an intriguing question. With the backdrop of Shreyas Iyer missing out on a BCCI contract and also losing his spot in the Indian Test side, Rohit witnessed the ...

Ranji Trophy Final: Musheer Khan credits Sachin's presence for his hundred

Legendary Sachin Tendulka's presence on the second day served as a huge motivating factor for 19-year-old Mumbai batter Musheer Khan, whose patient 136 turned the Ranji Trophy final result into a mere formality with hosts out-batting Vidarbha by third day itself. The batting legend was present for the morning session on the third day as Musheer piled up his second century in the three knockout games of this season's Ranji Trophy to help Mumbai extend their advantage. Musheer's ton on the third day, came after his splendid 203 not out in the quarterfinal against Baroda and a vital 55 against Tamil Nadu in the semifinal, helping Mumbai set a mammoth 538-run target for Vidarbha. "I did not even know that Sachin sir was here," Musheer told the media after the end of play on Day 3. "But when I was batting on 60, I saw on him on the big screen and (thereon) I batted with the motivation that he is watching today and I have to impress sir," he said. Tendulkar's along with India captain Ro

Ranji Trophy final: Harsha Dube confirms Vidarbha will go for the 538 chase

Battered but not yet beaten, Vidarbha on Tuesday maintained a defiant stand with their left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey saying they would look to chase down the remaining 528 runs in the ongoing Ranji Trophy final here against Mumbai. Two-time winners Vidarbha managed to bowl Mumbai out for 418 in the second innings but not before the lead had surged to extreme levels, with the hosts setting a 538-run target on the third day here at the Wankhede Stadium. Vidarbha's woes compounded particularly on the third day which was spent without their most successful bowler Aditya Sarwate, who did not take the field on Tuesday owing to back spasm. "We are positive. With nothing to lose, we will go for the chase. A lot of time is left in the match. Let's see how the wicket behaves," left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey, who toiled to return 5/144 in the second innings, told media after the end of play. "Sarwate's absence was a loss for us. They (Mumbai) batted well. Had we grabbed our chances, maybe the sc

Ranji Trophy final: Job is far from done for Mumbai against Vidarbha

Senior left-arm spinner Shams Mulani feels that Mumbai team cannot afford to be complacent despite having an overall lead of 260 runs after two days in the Rnji Trophy final against Vidarbha. Mumbai produced an all-round show on the second day at the Wankhede Stadium to take complete command, bowling out Vidarbha for a mere 105 in the first innings to earn a big 119-run lead. In their second innings, Mumbai were jolted twice early on but skipper Ajinkya Rahane (58 not out) and Musheer Khan (51 not out) led a resolute fightback with an unbeaten 107-run stand for the third wicket to take second innings score to 141/2. "Three days are left (in the game). We have not thought about anything else other than batting. Yes, we have got a healthy lead but we will look to build on it and see how we can improve and take the game away from them as much as possible," Mulani told the media after stumps. "Right now, we feel that we need to bat. There's no target in mind because we are just thinkin

Ranji Trophy final: Karun Nair backs Vidarbha's 'ability to fight back'

Karun Nair on Saturday backed Vidarbha to come good against Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy final owing to their ability to fight back from tough situations, an attribute that the two-time winners displayed against Madhya Pradesh in the semifinal. Vidarbha bounced back strongly in the second innings after being bowled out for a mere 170 in the first to win by 62 runs, setting up the final against Mumbai which starts here on Sunday. "The thrilling and close win against Madhya Pradesh really showed the character in the team, a lot of fighting ability," Nair told PTI Video in an exclusive interview here at the Wankhede Stadium. "We have always come back from difficult situations, that was another difficult situation (first innings against Madhya Pradesh) where we didn't play quite well to our potential in the first innings, but we came back really hard and won that game," he said. However, Nair hoped that there is no such situation for the team to deal with in the final. "But we need to s

Indian Street Premier League: Toss to Powerplay - rules, format explained

Major rules which are different from normal cricket are the 50-over, street nine runs and Tape-ball overs along with a unique combination of playing 11

Important to play domestic cricket if fit and available: Rohit Sharma

India captain Rohit Sharma wants players, who are not on national duty, to make themselves available for domestic cricket unless they have been declared "unfit" by the BCCI's medical team. In a strong message to players, who prioritize one format over the other, the Indian cricket board advised all contracted cricketers to give "precedence" to domestic cricket and went to the extent of excluding 2023 ODI World Cuppers Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer from the pool of centrally contracted cricketers after they ignored the board's diktat on Ranji Trophy. Ahead of the final Test against England, Rohit made it clear that the move applies to all and not a few players. "There has been talk about this for a long, long time. That when the players are available, they've got to make themselves available to play domestic cricket, unless they have been given a certificate from the medical group that they want to be rested or will not be taking part in domestic cricket, but if you are available, if

Indian Street Premier League: Full schedule, teams, owners, live streaming

The Indian Street Premier League (ISPL T10) begins on Wednesday, March 6 2024 and will be broadcast on the Sony Ten network and live-streamed on the Sony LIV app and website

Jharkhand spinner Nadeem calls it quits, wants to play in foregn leagues

Jharkhand left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem, who featured in two Tests for India, has announced his retirement from international cricket to try his luck in franchise-based leagues as he does not foresee opportunities in the national team. The 34-year-old said it is better to pave the way for younger talent. "I realise I can't feature for Team India anymore, as I'm not in the selectors' plans, and there is a pool of talented youngsters waiting for their chance," Nadeem told PTI from Dhanbad. "I would have continued playing if there were opportunities for me in Team India... However, I don't foresee any chances in near future. "Hence, I decided to retire from Indian cricket and try my luck in different leagues," added the bowler, who will be seen in action in the upcoming Legends League Cricket in Sri Lanka. Nadeem, who held the world record of best bowling figures (8/10) in an innings in List A cricket in a two-decade long career for Jharkhand, was handed a surprise Test debut again

Domestic cricket give national players chance to work on basics: Tendulkar

The legendary Sachin Tendulkar on Tuesday said playing in the Ranji Trophy provides national players an opportunity to go back to basics while also elevating the level of the domestic tournament. The BCCI recently made it mandatory for its centrally contracted players to play domestic red-ball cricket if they aren't on national duty or in the NCA. The BCCI excluded Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer from its central contract list after they missed their state team's respective Ranji Trophy games. "When India players turn up for their domestic teams, it raises the quality of play for youngsters and sometimes new talent is identified. "It also gives the national players a chance to sometimes rediscover the basics," Tendulkar posted on X. "Throughout my career, I remained passionate about playing for Mumbai whenever I had the opportunity. Growing up, we had almost 7-8 India players in our dressing room, and it was fun to play alongside them," Tendulkar added. The 25-year-old Kishan did n

Playing 10 Ranji games with 3-day gaps tough, could lead to injury: Shardul

India and Mumbai all-rounder Shardul Thakur on Sunday said that the BCCI will have to relook next year's Ranji Trophy schedule as playing 10 matches with just three-day gaps between games could lead to injuries to players. Thakur said it's difficult for players to adjust to the three-day gap between knockout matches, which was not the case earlier. It's difficult because we are playing first-class games in (a) three days' gap that has never happened in Ranji Trophy season ever, Thakur told the media here after making a fine century in the semifinal against Tamil Nadu. You know the schedule is becoming tighter and tighter. If boys keep playing like this for two more seasons, there will be lot of injuries across the country. Next year, they (the BCCI) have to re-look at it and give more break, he added. He said few years back players got more days in between matches in Ranji Trophy. When I remember playing Ranji Trophy back in the days, good 7-8 years back, (the) first three games

Aus' Will Pucovski and his tale of concussions continues, suffers another

Australian batter Will Pucovski suffered a nasty blow on his head and had to be substituted while playing for Victoria in a Sheffield Shield match against Tasmania here on Sunday. The No. 3 batter retired hurt for 0 after being hit on his helmet from a Riley Meredith bouncer. It was just the second delivery he faced in Victoria's chase of 442 in the second innings. The 26-year-old, who has experienced several blows to the head with the most recent being in a second XI match in January, was struck on the left side of his helmet after he turned his head to a rising delivery from Meredith. The blow left him visibly disturbed as he kneeled on the pitch. The medical staff rushed to the centre. He eventually got up and slowly walked off the field, rubbing his eyes. "Will is currently in the hands of our medical professionals," a Cricket Victoria spokesperson said. "We'll look to provide an update in due course." Reserve batter Campbell Kellaway came in as a concussion substitute. Pucov