TNCA revives Buchi Babu tournament after six years, turns down MS Dhoni's proposal to include Jharkhand

The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) has rejected the former India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni's suggestion to include the Jharkhand state team in the forthcoming Buchi Babu competition. Notably, TNCA has decided to formally reintroduce the domestic competition after a six-year hiatus, after a poor performance by the Tamil Nadu team in the Ranji Trophy. The last time the coveted tournament was contested was back in 2017.

The tournament has 12 teams divided into four groups of three, with the table toppers advancing to the semi-finals. The matches will be played in Dindigul, Salem, Tirunelveli, and Coimbatore and were contested in a four-day format.

The dates are set!😍#tnca#buchibabucrickettournament pic.twitter.com/Mv3TglEuq1

— TNCA (@TNCACricket) August 11, 2023

Interestingly enough, many state teams have shown their interest in participating in the competition. Former skipper, Dhoni, who also has close ties with the Chennai franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL) proposal was declined due to a lack of an open slot in the competition, as the tournament now already consists of 12 teams.

“MS Dhoni wanted Jharkhand included, but it was too tight. We couldn’t fit them because we already have 12 teams. Even Services and Chhattisgarh wanted to participate. We have decided to hold the tournament in Coimbatore, Salem, Dindigul, and Tirunelveli on green-tops as it will give players a good preparation since clubs use the event to prepare for the pre-season," TNCA secretary RI Palani was quoted as saying by the Indian Express.

The revival of Buchi Babu is important for the revival of First-Class cricket: Srikkanth

K Srikkanth, former India captain and Chairman of Selectors, has praised the reintroduction of the upcoming All India Buchi Babu Invitational Cricket Tournament, saying it is critical for the revival of First-Class cricket. He further mentions some of the prominent names in Indian cricket who have previously competed in the tournament.

“The revival of Buchi Babu is important for the revival of First-Class cricket. I am happy that TNCA is reviving it as a four-day format as it is the stepping stone into big league cricket.

“You had some of the biggest names like Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri, Roger Binny, G.R. Viswanath and so on play in this event. If you do well in this tournament, you used to get recognised at an all-India level. You wanted to do well against the Indian players because it was a great learning curve and exposure for us,” Srikkanth said at the launch event of the tournament on Thursday, August 10.