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Ranji Trophy, Super league, 2007-08 [Ranji SS available]


Chandan

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The 74th Ranji Trophy promises to be one of the most unpredictable, what with many strong teams left depleted after the exodus to the Indian Cricket League (ICL). Away from the glare of Twenty20 heroics and the resultant media frenzy, a slew of first class cricketers all over the country will now be touching their cricket kit with an air of reverence. The Ranji season is about to unfold and players will represent the various States in near empty stadiums, with just their team-mates, cricket writers, a few hangers on and may be the odd stray dog for company. It is a lonely path but one that promises a national cap provided you can pile a mountain of runs or grab a flurry of wickets. For veterans it is about proving they still have some cricket left in them besides donning the elder statesman’s role.There are fifteen teams in the super league which have been divided into two groups of eight and seven teams respectively for the coming competitions. Group A : Mumbai Karnataka Tamilnadu Delhi Himachal pradesh Saurastra Maharashtra,and Rajasthan. Group B: Orissa Uttar Pradesh Punjab Andhra Pradesh Bengal Baroda, and Hyderabad Mumbai: Railways, the 2004-05 champions, are currently languishing in the Plate League; UP, their successors, just about avoided relegation last season. Mumbai, defending champions this year, would look to undo the dubious trend prevalent over the last two years: of champions losing their form completely. Mumbai have already played two matches this season, beating Karachi Urban in the Mohammad Nissar Trophy, but losing outright to Rest of India in the Irani Trophy. On display were flashes of exciting new talent but also some phases of ordinary play. They are one of the few teams who haven't lost any significant players to ICL. To add to the already existing pool, they have, among others, Ajinkya Rahane, the aggressive opener who scored century on debut and also played the Challengers and Iqbal Abdula, the 17-year-old left-arm spinner who can add up as a handy lower-order batsman. Ajit Agarkar and Ramesh Powar may play more of a role this season, given they both find themselves out of the Indian team currently. A glaring omission is left-arm spinner Nilesh Kulkarni, who was the leading wicket-taker for Mumbai last season, with 24 wickets at 20.79. There were rumours that he might join ICL, but that did not eventually happen. They go into the Ranji Trophy a solid team, playing four out of their seven games at home - including the last one, against Saurashtra. Complete Mumbai squad What they did last season The unthinkable many times over. Going into their fourth match, they didn't have a single point and relegation loomed large over the the side that has won the trophy 36 times. But Gujarat and Rajasthan got a taste of vintage Mumbai cricket in the next two games as they both lost by an innings each, and Mumbai were alive and kicking again. Needing a win with a bonus point in the last match, they travelled to Nasik to play Maharashtra, the younger brother who had managed to beat them in the previous season. Beating Maharashtra by an innings and 154 runs, Mumbai reached the semi-finals with serious momentum. Just when it seemed they would steamroll any opposition, they found themselves down at 0 for 5, after having secured a first-innings lead against Baroda. That's when veteran wicketkeeper Vinayak Samant came up with a desperate knock of 66, and put up a respectable challenge for Baroda. Their inexperienced bowling line-up then bowled Baroda out for 173 to make it to the finals. With Sachin Tendulkar, Wasim Jaffer, Zaheer Khan, Ajit Agarkar and Ramesh Powar playing in the final, Bengal were always up against it. Amol Muzumdar was eighth on the run-getters list and Rohit Sharma 12th, both managing more than 500 runs each, with their averages in the high forties. Men to watch Their triumph last season was an ultimate team effort: whenever they found themselves in a hole, one or the other player raised his hand. As a team they look solid this season too, but there are certain individuals who have promised a lot over the last year. Abhishek Nayar, who has two breezy centuries this season already, promises to develop into an aggressive No. 6 and a stable medium-pacer. Abdulla has been given a huge mantle: one to replace Kulkarni and if Powar is out on national duty, he will have to take the lead spinner's role. Rahane and Sahil Kukreja have shown the makings of an effective opening partnership: 381 runs in three innings they have played together. It looks as if Mumbai will be the team to watch out for even this time.

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spacer.gifDelhi spacer.gif168408.jpgVirender Sehwag and Aakash Chopra, if not on national duty, will be key players for Delhi © AFP Delhi are a side in desperate need of a boost. Over the last two years, Delhi cricket has lost more than 10 cricketers - and coaches KP Bhaskar and Gursharan Singh - owing mainly to lack of opportunity and financial instability. Now, under the guidance of coach Vijay Dahiya and bowling coach Manoj Prabhakar, Delhi have stuck to the 'old is gold' truism. Virender Sehwag has been named captain, though his recall to the national side means a veteran like Mithun Manhas might now have to lead the side. Gautam Gambhir, and perhaps Ishant Sharma, are also uncertain to play. A one-month pre-season camp didn't throw up any exciting talent and even the fringe players have been in and out of the team. Dahiya hopes to play all Delhi's home matches on result-oriented pitches; he has identified that as a decisive factor in achieving outright victories. Delhi open their Ranji campaign at home against Rajasthan, a side with two talented medium-pacers, Pankaj Singh and Sanjay Gill. They play in the same group as champions Mumbai and semi-finalists Karnataka. They play only two of their seven games at home. Complete Delhi Squad What they did last season Delhi finished the 2006-07 third in their group, but with only one outright win from seven games. They took two points from their opening draw against Tami Nadu, batting out the final day on a lifeless Kotla pitch, and two more from a fog-hit game against UP. The trend continued until Saurashtra thumped them by 10 wickets in Rajkot. Next, they snuck a four-run draw against Andhra, picking up two more first-innings points. They won their last game against Haryana by an innings and 18 runs, but it was too late by then. Rajat Bhatia was Delhi's leading scorer with 512 at 64, but finished 14th on the overall list. Ishant Sharma picked up 29 wickets at 20.10, one of the reasons he made it to the Indian side. It was a better season than the previous, as 10 centurions compared to two indicates. Men to watch Aakash Chopra has been in fine form - even being discussed in hushed tones for an India recall. His consistency last season was rewarded with selection for India A against South Africa A in September. He scored an unbeaten 239 in a big victory, and was also handed a newly conceptualised D-category central contract by the BCCI. How well he bats is sure to have an impact on Delhi's showing. Shikhar Dhawan is another fine batsman who has captained Delhi in the limited-overs format and runs from him would be a boon. I'd add Ishant Sharma, Virat Kohli and Rajat Bhatia also in the men to watch list. DDCA in utter mess The senior selection committee of the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) released the list of probables for the forthcoming Ranji season on Tuesday. And true to DDCA form, the list contained a massive 51 names, probably, as one member said, to accommodate†players who wanted to have that “Delhi Ranji probable†tag. The list will subsequently be pruned to 25 after a five-day camp, and then to 16. The camp begins at the St.Stephen's college grounds on September 10. While Virender Sehwag has been appointed skipper and Gautam Gambhir his deputy, it remains to be seen who leads the team if and when both are on national duty. Justifying the big list, chairman of selectors, Chetan Chauhan, said: “We wanted to make sure no player misses out. We wanted to give everybody a chance.†Chauhan added that the committee had decided to set an aggregate of 700 runs in the local leagues as the minimum requirement for batsmen and 30 wickets for the bowlers. As for all-rounders, the criteria was 400 runs and 20 wickets. “Nine players have been selected (from the leagues) on this basis,†Chauhan said. The rest are various state-level players. The 51-name list clearly has an emphasis on pace, something Chauhan revealed, was done at Sehwag's behest. “Sehwag wanted a large pool of pacers to choose from; when we prune the list, we will have about 4-5 extra pacers to distribute the workload,†Chauhan said. As for the list, while 15 pick themselves, there are the all-too-familiar ‘quota’ names. Sources told HT that several DDCA officials were less than happy with the size of the list and the obvious favouritism. An interesting name on the list is that of fast bowler Sanjay Gill. Gill, who has played for Delhi, and turned out for Rajasthan a couple of seasons ago, took a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from Rajasthan and is now set for a Delhi 'comeback' at 32-plus. Better late than never. But the list of 15 players have been finalised! Finally! It'll also be interestingto which kind of pitch will be provided at Kotla. Will it be a green-top like in this match or will it be the usual slow Kotla track!!
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Ok, SUPERSELECTOR FOR RANJI SUPER LEAGUE IS UP !! However, PLEASE double check all the players that they have been correctly bracketed as an allrounder/batsman/bowler/keeper... Thing is because of defections to ICL, there are loads of fresh faces, and I'm not that big of a domestic cricket follower to know all the new guys (also some of the older ones) So please let me know which ones are wrong before you select your team.

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Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu were a team in transition in the 2006-07 season, as the results reflected. They only narrowly avoided relegation, winning just one of their seven matches outright. But to judge them by results alone would be taking things out of context. Through the course of the season Tamil Nadu, under a new coach in WV Raman, blooded youngsters, and tried to build a settled team. The concerns for Tamil Nadu were two fold. Firstly, the batsmen were not putting enough runs on the board, and when they did so they didn't score quickly enough to retain the initiative. Secondly they lacked an experienced, quality spinner. The medium-pace department was fairly well stocked and the opening batsmen, M Vijay and S Anirudha, settled down well as the season unfolded. Tamil Nadu were also hurt by the absence of S Badrinath and Dinesh Karthik, away playing for India A or India at various times in the season. Neither played a major role in the highlight of Tamil Nadu's season, which came in the inaugural Inter-State Twenty20 championships. Tamil Nadu played smart cricket, using several cricketers who were not necessarily part of their first-class set-up and beat more fancied sides to reach the final, where they edged out Punjab in a thriller. Finally they had a national trophy in the silverware cabinet. The one big worry for the coming season is the loss of D Tamilkumaran to the Indian Cricket League (ICL). Tamilkumaran led the attack and in the absence of L Balaji, who is still in the process of recovery and rehabilitation, Tamil Nadu's pace attack is weakened. Balaji, though not picked in the side initially, could be match fit by around the third match of the season. This season, they will have the advantage of playing all their games at home. Badrinath to lead young Tamil Nadu S Badrinath has been retained as Tamil Nadu's captain for the coming Ranji season. Apart from Badrinath and Dinesh Karthik, Tamil Nadu will have a largely inexperienced squad, with only five players who have played more than 10 first-class matches. L Balaji, the former Test medium-fast bowler, has been left out of the squad that was picked for the first two matches. The management plans to ease him back into competitive cricket as the season progresses. Even among the experienced players, Badrinath, Karthik and Yo Mahesh will be the first targets for India A teams, if not the national team in the case of the former two. Offspinner R Ashwin, who has taken 34 wickets in the five matches he has played, might be the one to lead in their absence. In the absence of T Kumaran, who was one of the seven players to have joined the Indian Cricket League (ICL), the pace attack will have to be spearheaded by Mahesh. C Ganapathy, the right-arm medium-pacer and Ramadoss Naresh, the left-arm medium-pacer, are the two other experienced pacers. Murali Vijay, the right-hand opener, who impressed in his debut season last year, will be the main hope in the batting department, along with Badrinath, Karthik and S Anirudha, who played in the Challenger Trophy. Complete Squad: S Badrinath (capt), M Vijay, S Anirudha, Dinesh Karthik, Kuthethurshri Vasudevadas, R Prasanna, R Ashwin, C Ganapathy, V Yo Mahesh, R Naresh, R Srinivasan, P Amarnath, R Ramkumar, Abhinav Mukund and KH Gopinath What they did last season After kicking off the season with a lifeless draw on a dead pitch at the Feroz Shah Kotla against Delhi, Tamil Nadu drew a game they should have won, against Andhra. Tamil Nadu scored 474 and then bowled Andhra out for only 155. But, after being asked to follow-on, Andhra held on to 327 for 8, denying Tamil Nadu an outright win. Through the season the failure to close out this match would hurt Tamil Nadu. Then there were points gained from a high-scoring draw against Saurashtra, and the advantage conceded in a draw against Uttar Pradesh. An outright loss to Karnataka, by 10 wickets was just about salvaged with a win against Baroda in Tamil Nadu's last match of the season. Men to watch M Vijay had the kind of season that should have pitchforked him to higher honours. With runs in all forms of the game - grinding, stable knocks in first-class cricket that brought 628 runs from 7 matches at 52.33 and freer, clean hitting in limited-overs matches - he should have been a shoo-in for India A selection. Yet somehow he was ignored all season. Vijay possesses a tight technique and a sound temperament, and has shown the ability to switch gears to suit different circumstances. His opening partner, S Anirudha, has the ability to hit the ball as cleanly as anyone in domestic cricket. If he reins in his tendency to have a go at everything on offer, Anirudha could well be a key component in Tamil Nadu's campaign. R Ashwin began as a batsman, but ended up being the top wicket-taker for Tamil Nadu by taking 31 wickets with his canny offspin, at an average of 16.93. A steady batsman in the lower order, Ashwin has proved to be an attacking and imaginative captain when afforded the chance to lead the side.

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Bengal Despite two amazing seasons, Bengal are without any trophies and they must be wondering what more they need to do. This season, they face a hard task of picking themselves up after two of their most experienced players - Deep Dasgupta and Rohan Gavaskar along with many others - have defected to the Indian Cricket League (ICL). They have made it to two finals in a row, but somehow managed to stumble at the last hurdle and had Dasgupta and Gavaskar still been with the team, they would have been strong favourites to go the distance again. Allrounder Laxmi Ratan Shukla, vice-captain last season, has been appointed the captain of the side after he decided to not join the ICL. Shukla, averaging only 32 in first-class cricket, will be looking to make a statement both as a leader and as a batsman. But the major batting attraction once again will be Manoj Tiwary, second in the overall run-getters' list last season. He was unfortunate in getting injured just before what could have been his ODI debut, but is back among the runs after a shoulder injury. Apart from Dasgupta and Gavaskar, Abhishek Jhunjhunwala and Subhomoy Das are their big batting losses to the ICL. There is good news though: SS Paul, their leading bowler in 2005-06, is back to full fitness after he missed the whole last season with a knee injury. Along with Ranadeb Bose, the highest wicket-taker last season, vice-captain Saurashish Lahiri and Sourav Sarkar, Bengal can still boast of the most solid bowling attack in the country. With five of their six matches to be played at home, they should be backing themselves to make it to the knockout stage third time running. 'I am ready for captaincy' - Shukla Laxmi Ratan Shukla made his international debut at a time no India player remotely resembled an allrounder. But after three ODIs in 1999, he was dropped and has never again played for the national side. Since then he has been an important member of the Bengal team. He drifted for a while before the start of the season, but chose against joining the Indian Cricket League (ICL) and has now been rewarded with the captaincy of the Bengal side. He spoke to Cricinfo about his career and his team's prospects going into the season. spacer.gif278598.jpg Shukla: "Our supply line is still good [even after the exodus to ICL]. I just expect to carry on with the good work that Deep Dasgupta has done. But the target will be to take it a step higher" © Cricinfo Ltd It's close to 10 years for you in first-class cricket. What changes have you seen? Cricket wasn't as mobilised as it is now in terms of training and the availability of a physio. The game has come a long way since then. Every year, there are innovations. If we talk of facilities available today, it doesn't look like the game from ten years back. Comparing then and now will be illogical. We now have a support staff with a physio, a trainer, a computer analyst and a video analyst. Quality-wise, it has improved, but not to the extent it should have, given the facilities. It is not as competitive now as when we started out. I also feel that the seniors are being ignored a bit. Looking back, do you think your chance at the international level came a bit too soon? I don't think so. I had performed well enough to deserve that chance. But do you think you would have been a more mature player had you debuted a year or two later? It was not in my hands. If somebody selects you, he does it depending only on your performance. It's difficult to say, but yes I have matured as a player over the years. What made you join ICL and then come back? Actually, not many know that I had gone there [to Mumbai where the ICL paraded around 50 recruits, Shukla being one of whom] just to talk to More sir [Kiran More] and understand the concept. I didn't go there to join, and I didn't know there would be a public gathering. It all happened too fast. But I hadn't signed the contract by then. Later, although the offer was good , I didn't feel comfortable leaving Bengal and playing for ICL. Bengal have had two good seasons, but all of a sudden many players have left to join the ICL. What are your expectations going into the season, now that you are the captain too? Our supply line is still good. Obviously we will miss Deep [Dasgupta, their captain over the last two seasons] and Rohan [Gavaskar] a lot, but we are not worrying about the others because we have players who are just as talented. Deep is a good friend and when he was the captain, I was the vice-captain. I just expect to carry on with the good work that he has done. We will try to maintain that level, but the target will be to take it a step higher. What was your first reaction when you saw the team at hand? We have been together for quite a bit now. I like what we have, and when we went to play in Hyderabad and Bangalore, the boys who got the chance showed they have talent. What they were lacking was getting chances, which they will get now. The it's up to them to prove they deserve the chance, especially when they will be playing in place of such dominant players like Rohan and Deep. Nobody can be replaced completely, and it would be wrong to compare new players to anybody. But what they can do is show that they too can succeed at this level. How disappointing was it for the team to lose two finals in a row? It was very disappointing to reach two finals in a row, and still not win. To motivate the team after losing the finals was very difficult, because we played good cricket consistently. It will be difficult to pick ourselves up, especially this year, playing without Rohan and Deep. You will be without Paras Mhambrey who coached you guys last two season. Paras bhai was outstanding over the last two years. He did a lot of good work with us. We will miss him a lot, but things don't come to a halt when an individual leaves. We can only look forward. Bharat Arun [the current coach] is doing a good job. He treats everyone equally and doesn't have favourites. There has been this criticism against you that have not matured as a batsman, that you are still a bit careless. Do you think a first-class average of 32.59 is an underachievement? See, one can always do better. But you have to see my position in the batting order too: it's mostly at No. 7. Most of the times, I only get to bat with the bowlers. But yes there is always scope for development. Your bowling will be boosted by the return of SS Paul. He is bowling well, is looking good, and has recovered from the knee injury that kept him out last season. You could play carefree cricket before, but now that you are the captain, how is this season different on that count? There is extra responsibility, it will be more fun. I have played for close to 10 years and I am ready for captaincy. Fitness & fielding: Bengal’s new mantra Complete Bengal squad What they did last season Bengal's performance last season was an almost perfect mix of efficiency and flair: while Bose never let them miss Paul, with consistent and stable medium-pace bowling, Tiwary led the batting in typical aggressive style. Sourav Ganguly put in his cameos whenever he was available to play. They were almost perfect because they fell at the last hurdle: unable to overcome a strong and star-studded Mumbai side. They also showed resilience when in an away game they rolled Hyderabad over for 76 after having fallen behind by 109 in the first innings. They led their pool with 17 points from three outright wins and two first-innings leads. Bose and Tiwary led the statistics and they were solid until the finals. Men to watch Tiwary, Bose and Paul would want to continue from where they finished off last season. Tiwary with 796 runs at 99.50, Bose with 57 wickets at 14.22 and Paul with 36 wickets at 25.38 in the previous season; came close to national selection, but face a fresh domestic season ahead. Tiwary still stands with a realistic chance for a call-up anytime, while for Bose and Paul it is another opportunity to put up a statement.

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Hyderabad Probably the side most hit by the ICL, Hyderabad go into the season with a new look side with few expectations. They have always been difficult to ignore, hovering in and around the top four, but it would require something special to reach the knockout stage this time. Anirudh Singh, who led their one-day team for part of the last season, Ambati Rayudu, Ibrahim Khaleel, Indershekar Reddy, Kaushik Reddy, Shashank Nag, Alfred Absolem and D Vinay Kumar have defected to the ICL, removing a major chunk of their Ranji side. VVS Laxman has been appointed captain, but he is unlikely to feature in more than two games, what with India having Tests scheduled against Pakistan and Australia. They will be comforted by the schedule - four of their games are at home - and might be tempted to prepare sporting tracks, giving themselves a chance of winning outright. Seven new faces in Hyderabad squad Captain VVS Laxman, Arjun Yadav, Pragyan Ojha and Daniel Manohar will be the only four Hyderabad players with an experience of more than 10 first-class matches going into the Ranji Trophy. Hyderabad have been reduced to this situation after almost all of their team defected to the Indian Cricket League (ICL). D Ravi Teja (5 matches), Praneet Arjun (3), Anoof Pai (2), Amol Shinde (2) are the other players with any experience at first-class level. Even Laxman, expected to play Tests for India, might be available for only two games, away matches against Bengal and Punjab. Yadav was appointed the vice-captain for the season (:mad:). Hyderabad will hope Teja and Arjun build up on their strong debuts last season: Teja, a right-hand opening batsman, scored an 84 against Maharashtra and Arjun, right-arm medium-pacer took four Mumbai wickets in his first showing. : VVS Laxman (captain), Arjun Yadav, DB Ravi Teja, S Daniel Manohar, S Anoof Pai, Amol Shinde, Habeeb Ahmed (wk), Pragyan Ojha, Praneet Arjun, SM Shoaib, Ashwin Yadav, A Lalith Mohan, Vishal Sharma, Mohammad Ahmed Shakeer, Danny Dereck Prince. What they did last season Finishing third in a tough group represented a satisfactory effort, but it could easily have been a special one. They had the better of some early draws before getting within striking range of the semi-final slot. A calamitous collapse against Bengal - having gained a 109-run lead they fell for just 76 - jeopardised their chances and left them a bit too far behind. A win there could have almost certainly ensured a knockout spot. Ravi Teja, the dashing opening batsman, was the find of the season with 393 runs at 43.66. Rayudu and Anirudh turned in some consistent performances as well, but won't be featuring in this edition. Men to watch Teja is definitely one for the future though he will want to break the century barrier at the earliest opportunity. Medium-pacer MP Arjun made a good impression in his first few games and would be expected to lead the attack this time around. Left-arm spinner Ojha, one touted as good enough for India, will also have to shoulder a big responsibility. For those interested, here is an extremely interesting artice: http://www.mid-day.com/sports/local/2007/august/162871.htm Shivlal Yadav denies promoting his son vehemently yadav2308.jpgFormer India spinner Shivlal Yadav came out strongly against detractors who accused him of unfairly promoting his son Arjun. “We thought we were giving our heart and soul for the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA). But, we were in fact playing in the interest of one person and everybody knows who he is,” said Hyderabad Ranji player Kaushik Reddy on behalf of the eight players who joined the Indian Cricket League on Monday. Reddy cited several instances of them being sidelined to promote Arjun. “One of our highest run-getters was not selected for Duleep Trophy, while a person who has not even scored 100 runs in the whole season got selected,” he said, referring to Arjun. “In another instance, a batsman with a highest score of 35 got selected for the Challenger series, while a person averaging 44 in the Ranji team was dropped,” he recalled. Sr Yadav minced no words in defending his son. “People who are shooting off their mouth have no local standing. Idiots like Kaushik Reddy will come and go. He has gone for the lure of money, good luck to him. But I am neither on the national selection committee nor in the South Zone selection committee, so how can he accuse of me pushing my son?” Yadav told MiD DAY from Hyderabad yesterday. “He (Reddy) has taken 30 wickets in Ranji Trophy and he is casting aspersions on me who has done so much for Hyderabad cricket. It’s below my dignity to even respond to such people,” Yadav fumed. However, a reliable member of Hyderabad’s cricketing fraternity said: “Everyone in Hyderabad knows that Shivlal goes out of his way to promote his son. In fact, promoting his son has been his No 1 agenda. People here have even stopped reacting to it.” There was also some questions raised over Arjun’s selection for the India ‘A’ tour of Zimbabwe and Kenya recently in spite of mediocre performances in domestic cricket. Arjun’s in numbers First-class matches: 51 Innings: 87 Not out: 5 Runs: 2338 100s: 2 50s: 13 Hs: 155* Avg: 28.51

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ANDHRA PRADESH A fourth place in Group A last season showed that Andhra were no pushovers. The team rode on the performances of bowling allrounder Syed Sahabuddin, mediumpacer D Kalyankrishna and batsman Prasad Reddy. However, the nucleus of the side has been jolted with the transfer of captain Venugopal Rao to Maharashtra and Sahabuddin's loss to the ICL. MSK Prasad, the former Indian wicketkeeper, is the most familiar name in the squad and he takes over the captaincy as well. A few players in the squad have little or no first-class experience, so the challenge for Andhra would be to keep their head above water against Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Hyderabad and Bengal. MSK Prasad to lead Andhra MSK Prasad, the former India wicketkeeper, will lead a 15-member Andhra Ranji squad to take part in the Ranji Trophy Super League. Prasad was made captain after former captain Venugopala Rao shifted allegiance to Maharashtra. The team will also be without the services of KS Sahabuddin, who signed up with the Indian Cricket League. The player to watch out for will be Bodipati Sumanth, the former India Under-19 batsman, who impressed on the U-19 team's tour to England in 2006. He scored an unbeaten 97 in the third one-dayer in Cardiff. Sumanth has played three first-class and five domestic Twenty20 matches for his state. The squad will be coached by former Test player, Syed Abid Ali, who had guided Andhra to the top of the South Zone in 2002-03, when the Ranji Trophy was zone-based. The squad's 20-day conditioning camp in Visakhapatnam ends on 30th October. Complete Andhra squad: MSK Prasad (capt, wk), Arjun Kumar, Mohammad Faiq, Gnaneswara Rao, Doddapaneni Kalyankrishna, I Raju, Prasad Reddy, Reddy, V Sandeep, Shankara Rao, Bodapati Sumanth, Marripuri Suresh, Satya Kumar Varma, P Vijay Kumar, Hemal Watekar Coach: Syed Abid Ali What they did last season The season began on a high as Sahabuddin and Kalyankrishna took centrestage in a low-scoring game in Rohtak, a match otherwise known for Joginder Sharma's hat-trick. Following that 114-run win was a back-to-the-wall draw against Tamil Nadu, thanks to Rao's unbeaten 105, which saved the team from a likely innings defeat after being asked to follow on. Sahabuddin ripped Saurashtra apart with a seven-wicket haul in the third match and their 78-run win in a low-scorer saw them rise to the second spot in the points table at that stage. Three draws followed, but there was no shortage of excitement. Karnataka managed to hang on with three second-innings wickets in hand, but bigger thrills were in store against Delhi in Vijayawada. Sahabuddin's 95 took Andhra within touching distance of the target of 333, eventually falling short by four runs with just one wicket in hand. Staring at a certain defeat at 144 for 6, Sahabuddin shepherded the tail and made a fist of the target, with Kalyankrishna for company. Their final game, against Uttar Pradesh was a disappointment and they had their batting entirely to blame in an innings defeat. Sahabuddin - with 28 wickets - was the stand-out performer for his all-round efforts, and his absence will be felt this season. Men to watch Reddy, who topped the run charts with 552, will be expected to shoulder the batting responsibilities with Prasad, in the absence of Rao. Batsman Bodapati Sumanth, who toured England with the Under-19 squad last year, will look to make an impression after only three first-class games. Kalyankrishna, who ended the season as their top wicket-taker with 30 wickets, will have to lead the bowling attack in absence of Sahabuddin. PUNJAB Punjab are one of the teams severely hit by the Indian Cricket League (ICL): as many as 11 players defected, not all starters but yet a significant chunk. Dinesh Mongia and Reetinder Singh Sodhi, their batting mainstays, are the biggest losses. From being runners-up in 2005 to securing just eight points in six games last season and then losing half the team to ICL, it has been a downhill ride for Punjab. Pankaj Dharmani, their captain who also keeps wicket, will have to take the added responsibility of leading the inexperienced batting line-up. He will happily accept all the help that comes from Ravneet Ricky, the opener who was a part of the world-champion Under-19 team back in 2000. There are a couple of young batsmen who have been doing well in CK Nayudu Trophy: Sumit Sharma, the 19-year-old who has played for India U19, and Ravi Inder, the Punjab U-22 captain. Karan Goel, the highest run-getter in the domestic Twenty20 last season, will look to carry that form into first-class cricket. The pace bowling, though, looks strong if VRV Singh can be at his best, in tandem with the workhorse Gagandeep Singh. They will be joined by the 18-year-old Amanpreet Singh, who took four Mumbai wickets on debut last season. Uncapped legspinner Sarabjit Ladda and the 6'4" seamer Manpreet Gony are also highly talked about. Punjab will play under a new coach this season, their third in three seasons. Gursharan Singh, who played one Test for India and also led Punjab to their only Ranji title in 1992-93, has taken charge of the team and is optimistic, even without those who have joined ICL. Punjab are pooled with last-year's runners-up Bengal and semi-finalists Baroda, but they play five of their six matches at home. Complete Punjab Squad What they did last year After securing a one-run lead in a low-scoring season starter against Bengal, they lost the match outright. In the second match, after dismissing Gujarat for 208, they couldn't force an outright result. Had they capitalised during these two matches, they could have made it to the semi-finals. They beat Mumbai on first-innings basis in a thriller in the following round, but all they could manage after that was two draws before losing another thriller. In their last match, against Hyderabad, they came within a wicket of winning outright, but Hyderabad just about held on to get the required 137 in the last innings. Individually Dharmani was prolific with 537 runs at 76.71, with three centuries. Luv Ablish was their highest wicket-taker, with 17 wickets at 23.47, but he will be playing in the ICL this year. Men to watch When both VRV Singh and Gagandeep are on song, they have the makings of being one of the most potent new-ball pairings in the Ranji Trophy. This will be an important season for VRV Singh, who has not been consistent at the international level. But it will be crucial how Dharmani and Ricky take charge of the young batting line-up. They have been consistent over the years, but this season will demand something extra.

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Varun, in Ranji trophy super selector.. i se restriction of players from each team.. u can pick just one from each team... and i notice it sayz 16 man squad.. and only 14 teamz available... yaar kamsekam 2 yaa 3 players max per team karle..
ooops :P 2 kar diya
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Varun' date=' i am supposed to pick 16 squad players but at the same time i can only choose 1 player from each team. I can only do one or the other[/quote'] Yes yes dohhhh moment on my part . Fixed [Edit: am having some saving isssues on my end.. Can't debug now as I got a busy day, so if you guys can't add in all your teams by the 2nd, I'll extend the deadline to later] [Edit2: The above problem has been fixed. Please add your teams]
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I 'll watch the karnataka matches.....
Now I need some devious plan to distract hubby darling....:D
This is for you Radhika, and other Karnataka followers!:regular_smile: Karnataka 303735.jpg For former champions Karnataka, who are one of the strongest contenders for this season's title, this season is all about reiterating that the state’s cricketing conveyor belt is still churning talent. They have been boosted by the return of Anil Kumble, who will lead the team, and Rahul Dravid. Apart from the duo who will be available for two games, they will bank on the experience of Sunil Joshi and Yere Goud - who joined Karnataka last season after 11 years with Railways. Although they have lost Robin Uthappa to the Indian team, they have a formidable batting line-up in C Raghu, B Akhil, Thilak Naidu and Barrington Rowland, the men who took Karnataka to the final four in the last season. Joshi, as always, will lead the bowling attack, but he can turn to a capable few to share the burden. There is KP Appanna, the talented left-arm spinner making rapid strides, and R Vinay Kumar, the medium-pace bowler who took 27 wickets last season. They will be bolstered by the presence of NC Aiyappa, the medium-pacer who has recovered from an injury that restricted him to just two games in the previous season. In addition they have Akhil, who blossomed into a fine medium-pace bowler last season and Raghu, who picked 10 wickets with his offspin. Karnataka have a new coach in Vijay Bharadwaj after Venkatesh Prasad became the national bowling coach and his successor Rajesh Kamat was pouched by the ICL. Bharadwaj headed a 13-day camp - where batting and fielding sessions combined with drills and exercise formed the daily routine - at the Infosys campus in Mysore as part of the build-up to the upcoming season. 2007102551320402.jpg “We have 35 probables now and I am sure the top 15 from this will eventually form the State team. They have it in them to go all the way and win the trophy. I am not saying this just because I am associated with them. I can see the hunger in their eyes and some of them who are making a comeback are extra keen to do well,” says former cricketer Vijay Bharadwaj, who has now been appointed state coach after earlier appointee Rajesh Kamat joined the rebel Indian Cricket League. “When we won the Ranji Trophy in the Nineties, besides having a bunch of great players, we also had this sense of joy in seeing each other succeed. Let us be honest, we are not going to get players of the calibre of Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath, Rahul Dravid, Venkatesh Prasad, Sunil Joshi and a few others, often. It is a cycle. Yes, now besides Kumble and Dravid, we only have Robin Uthappa playing for India but I am sure the cycle will change and more players will emerge. There is no mistaking the talent in our State,” Bharadwaj says. Complete Karnataka Squad: Anil Kumble (capt), Rahul Dravid, Yere Goud, C Raghu, Sunil Joshi, Barrington Rowland, NC Aiyappa, B Akhil, KP Appanna, Srinivas Dhananjaya, Thilak Naidu (wk), Devraj Patil, KB Pawan, Sudhindra Shinde, Vinay Kumar Coach: Vijay Bharadwaj 2007102551320403.jpg Karnataka is in a tough pool – Group A. It has teams such as current Ranji champions Mumbai, Tamil Nadu and Delhi in the fray. Does that rankle Bharadwaj? “I see it as a positive thing. If you are in a tough group, you just cannot be complacent and take it easy. If you want to win the Ranji Trophy, you have to play good cricket to get the better of tough sides. I think we do have a bunch that can take on the best. Besides the regulars like Barrington and Joshi who have come in after playing in England, we also have players like Sudhindra Shinde, who is scoring runs and itching to make a comeback. Seamer N.C. Aiyappa has recovered well from injury and wants to prove himself.” “We are training at the Infosys campus for 12 days and the focus is on cricket. Even the fitness sessions are tuned into cricket. We also plan to have players like Kumble and Gundappa Viswanath come and talk to the probables. Our players represent a great side like Karnataka and they need to understand a bit of its cricketing history. Our preparation is good starting with the practise matches against Bengal and now with this camp, it has progressed well.” It is time now for the long season ahead. As Karnataka gears up for its first match this season away against Mumbai from November 3 to 6, fans in the State are hoping the team will go all the way and bring the trophy home. The finals are scheduled for January 16 to 20, 2008. What they did last season A bad start, a strong comeback, and a tame end - they experienced all in their campaign last season. They lost to Baroda in under three days in the first game, collapsing for 85 in the first innings and being bowled out for 283 in the second. Then they beat Haryana comprehensively in the second match with Uthappa and Rowland adding 211 runs for the first wicket in just 32 overs to set up the declaration before Joshi and Appanna spun them to victory. In the next game, against Uttar Pradesh, Vinay Kumar took a five-for to set up an easy target. In a tense chase of 122 runs, a half-century from Raghu got them home with just two wickets to spare. They played out a high-scoring draw against Delhi before batting failure reared its ugly head in the next game against Andhra. Shot out for 111 in the first innings, they held on to a draw, reaching 204 for 7, while chasing 410, in their second innings. At the start of the new year they bounced back strongly with a crushing 10-wicket win over Tamil Nadu, courtesy a smashing 159 from Uthappa and a seven-wicket match haul from Joshi and followed it up with a facile draw against Saurashtra. But, in the semi-final against Bengal, they imploded, making just 89 in the first innings and despite posting 455 in the second, they couldn't stop Bengal from romping to a comfortable six-wicket win. Men to watch Apart from the usual suspects, Raghu and Appanna are the ones to watch out for. Raghu, a graceful right-hand middle-order batsman, scored 537 runs at 35.8 in the last season and one can expect him to up the ante in the season ahead. Appanna, with his classical left-arm spin, has been the impressive one and this season could see him come out of Joshi's shadow. Those who are interested in knowing a bit more about Karnataka's Ranji campaign this season, can read it here: Heading off to a season of hope
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