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Syed Mushtaq Ali Twenty20 Trophy: Former champions Uttar Pradesh look to turn over a new leaf
After a disappointing performance in the last season, Uttar Pradesh take on Chandigarh in their Elite Group E match of Syed Mushtaq Ali Twenty20 Trophy in Gurugram on Thursday
A new captain, new coach and a new domestic season — it all sums up the trajectory of former champions Uttar Pradesh as they begin their campaign in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Twenty20 Trophy with their Elite Group E match against Chandigarh in Gurugram on Thursday.
Ghaziabad’s Karan Sharma, who was the highest run-getter for the side with 168 runs in five matches last season, has been elevated as captain from vice-captain last season when the team couldn’t make it to the knockout rounds.
Former Team India star Suresh Raina was the second batter to cross the 100-run mark last season for UP, whereas 17 others could not make an impression. Left-arm pacer Mohsin Khan was the highest wicket-taker for UP with five wickets. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shanu Saini had four and three wickets, respectively then.
In the new season, both the captain and newly appointed coach Vijay Dahiya will have their task cut out for them. Uttar Pradesh have been drafted into the Elite Group E along with Hyderabad, Uttarakhand, Saurashtra, Delhi and Chandigarh. Besides playing against Chandigarh on Thursday, at the Gurugram Cricket Ground, UP will take on Saurashtra on the following day on November 5. This will be followed by their next match against Delhi on November 6, against Uttarakhand on November 8. After a day’s rest, UP will round off their league campaign in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Twenty20 Trophy with the match against Hyderabad on November 9.
“UP (Uttar Pradesh) has been a wonderful domestic side and I am enjoying my stint with the boys, who are capable enough to turn the table on any given day,” Dahiya was quick to react when asked for his comment ahead of the season opener on Wednesday.
“I have worked with so many other teams. The talent here has been fantastic. The guys are quite talented and putting a lot of efforts on the ground,” he said.
On his own experience with the Uttar Pradesh side, Vijay Dahiya said that it was an opportunity for him to work with a bunch of talented players. “I was more than keen to get down with the boys. I saw the talent at the Challenger Trophy at Kanpur for first time and I realised that by the time the Ranji Trophy starts next month, the UP team would be somewhere in the reckoning for sure.”
Led by the energetic Manan Vohra, hosts Chandigarh, which topped the Plate Group last season, will have the advantage of playing on home surface, and if their key players like Ankit Kaushik, Shivam Bhambri, Sarul Kanwar, Gurinder Singh and Arpit Singh get going, the local side would be a tough nut to crack for Uttar Pradesh.
Chandigarh would miss the services of medium-pacer Sandeep Sharma, who shifted from Punjab Cricket Association to UTCA this season, and is down with dengue. But the side will also have the advantage of having the services of former Ranji Trophy cricketer from Himachal Pradesh, Rajeev Nayyar, as the team’s coach.
