If the Kanga League is an integral part of Mumbai cricket, the Purshottam Shield has been a significant fair weather tournament, played by every cricketing great in this city, from Vijay Merchant to Sachin Tendulkar and several stars in between.


Dadar Union Sporting Club with the Purshottam Shield in the early 1970s. Sitting from left: Ramnath Parkar, Milind Rege, Suresh Tigdi, Vasu Paranjape, Vithal Patil, Daya Dudhwadkar. Standing from left: Subhash Patne, Shashi Nayak, Sashi Tigdi, Dilip Vengsarkar, Avinash Karnik, Jitendra Bhutta, Urmikant Mody, Subhash Bandiwadekar. Pic courtesy: Late Vithal Patil’s personal collection

The first round matches of the Purshottam Shield-s centenary year will be played from December 19. Hemant Kenkre, who was Tendulkar-s first senior division club captain, recalled the Shivaji Park Youngsters vs Cricket Club of India CCI Purshottam Shield game at Shivaji Park Gymkhana in 1987.