Former Indian cricketer believes that Uttar Pradesh should have two Ranji teams

Uttar Pradesh has a rich culture as a cricketing centre as a number of players in Mohammad Kaif, Piyush Chawla, Praveen Kumar, Suresh Raina and Bhuvneshwar Kumar among others have made a name for themselves in international cricket. Former fast-bowler Chetan Chauhan has also been a prominent figure in their cricket. He is now a leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as well as the Sports Minister of the state.

The veteran reckons that UP should have two teams in the Ranji Trophy. He also mentioned that while small states like Haryana, Goa, and Delhi have one team each, UP with a population of over 22 crores, has only one team and that is unfair. Meanwhile, a source in the sports department talked about taking their plea to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) as per reports in Mid-Day.

The positive words from the cricket fraternity

“Very soon, the state government is likely to send a proposal to the Board of Cricket for Control in India (BCCI) to allow two teams for the state,” the source was quoted as saying.

The young cricketers in the state have also taken the step positively. Shiv Sehgal, who played for the state’s under-19 team, iterated it to be beneficial for their cricket to a great extent. “Having two teams would go a long way in harnessing and inducting young talent into the sport,” Sehgal said.

In the erstwhile edition of the Ranji Trophy, Uttar Pradesh finished sixth in Group A among seven teams. Out of six matches, the team captained by Suresh Raina won nothing and lost three matches. While, the top team in their group, Karnataka, finished with 32 points, UP could only muster five points.

The upcoming season of the prestigious tournament is expected to take place in between October 2018 and January 2019, and UP will definitely be hoping to make amends for a lacklustre outing last time around.

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