MCA secretary Abhay Hadap reveals Bandra Blasters’s icon player Ajinkya has conveyed his unavaibility for tournament, but they are trying to convince him to play
Mumbai’s Ajinkya Rahane
The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) is all set to begin its much-awaited T20 Mumbai League’s (TML) third edition from June 4 to 12 at the Wankhede Stadium and DY Patil Stadium. The first two editions were held in 2018 and 2019.
‘Rahane sent an email’
However, experienced India batter and Mumbai captain Ajinkya Rahane, who is the icon player and skipper of Bandra Blasters, might skip the current edition.
“We have received an email from Ajinkya in which he mentioned that he will not be available to play in the T20 Mumbai League,” MCA secretary Abhay Hadap told mid-day on Monday.
Rahane, the captain of Kolkata Knight Riders in the ongoing IPL-18, emerged as the team’s highest scorer with 390 runs, including three half-centuries, but KKR failed to qualify for the Playoffs. Though Rahane has not cited a reason for his unavailability, the MCA is keen to have him on board. “We would like him [Rahane] to play in the T20 Mumbai League. We will be speaking to him to try and convince him to play. If he plays, it will add to the league’s value,” added Hadap.
Bandra Blasters head coach Umesh Patwal revealed that the team’s owner is in touch with Rahane. “Our team owner [Pravin Agarwal] is currently in touch with him [Rahane] and said that he [Rahane] will tell us about his plans soon,” said Patwal.
The T20 tournament will also miss India bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur, who was picked by Eagle Thane Strikers as their icon player, as Thakur will be on national duty as part of Shubman Gill’s Test team in England.
Other notable cricketers, who will miss the TML, are Aakash Tigers Mumbai Western Suburbs team’s Sarfaraz Khan, Mumbai South Central Maratha Royals’s Tushar Deshpande and North Mumbai Panthers’s Tanush Kotian, all of whom will be on the England tour with India ‘A’ team.
Stars in the fray
The city’s cricket fans though will get to watch star cricketers like India’s T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav (Triumph Knights Mumbai North East), Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer (SoBo Mumbai Falcons), India all-rounder Shivam Dube (ARCS Andheri) and Prithvi Shaw (North Mumbai Panthers) at the TML.
Meanwhile, on Monday, MCA decided to cancel all age-group summer camp matches for boys and girls due to rain. However, MCA is confident of conducting the TML as per schedule.
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