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Mohali: BLV Blasters look to defend title at Sher-e-Punjab T20 Cup
When BLV Blasters take on Royal Phantoms in their opening match at the IS Bindra Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali on Monday evening, they will be eyeing a triumph to start their campaign on a winning note
Led by swashbuckling cricketer Naman Dhir’s red-hot form, defending champions BLV Blasters are raring for the second Sher-e-Punjab T20 Cup and looking to defend the title second season in a row.
When Blasters take on Royal Phantoms in their opening match at the IS Bindra Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium in Mohali on Monday evening, they will be eyeing a triumph to start their campaign on a winning note.
The Blasters will be bolstered by the presence of Naman who will be leading the side and will be in high spirits after he made an impression at the recently concluded IPL playing for Mumbai Indians (MI). The 24-year-old batter made 10-ball 20 against Gujarat Titans and 28-ball 62 versus Lucknow Super Giants to show off his mettle and his batting prowess in the IPL representing MI.
“It is exciting to get into the playing groove in the Sher-e-Punjab Cup and captain BLV Blasters. We won the tournament last season and gained so much confidence from the title triumph, which further helped all team members in the season ahead. We are looking to give our best and take one match at a time. Defending the title is on our agenda but we have to win maximum matches to make winning momentum and carry it to the finals,” felt Naman,who thinks his team is well balanced.
Blasters have IPL fame left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar, U-19 World Cup runners-up team (2023) member and fast bowler Aaradhya Shukla, along with opener Harnoor Pannu in the mix.
Harnoor, a member of the U-19 World Cup winning team member (2022), has moved from UT Cricket Association to PCA for better opportunities. He has scored double-hundreds and centuries in the U-23 Punjab inter-districts T20 and one-day tournament recently to start the season with a bang. Sandeep Kohli is the Blasters coach.
On the other hand, Anmolpreet Singh, who scored a match-winning ton against Baroda to set up Punjab’s title win in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy final last season, will be at Phantom’s helm. His experience, along with the exuberance of youngsters, will add zing to their challenge. Ajay Joshi is the coach of the team.
Ahead of the Blasters vs Phantoms match at 7.15 pm, Punjabi singer Gurdas Maan will enthral the spectators at 6.30 pm.
At 3 pm, JK Super Strikers will clash with Intersoft Titans. Sanvir Singh will captain the Super Strikers and Vishwanath Singh will lead the Titans. The Sher-E-Punjab T20 Cup 2024 season will be broadcast live on Star Sports First.
The top four teams of the league stage will qualify for the semi-finals, which will be conducted on June 25. While the final is set to be played on June 27, the title clash is also allotted a reserved day of June 28.
