CHENNAI: Former India and Tamil Nadu cricketer Hemang Badani is happy that a couple of IPL franchises have made good use of the auction to strengthen their side. He insists that the quality of India players in the IPL teams will have a role to play in the tournament. ''Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, Sunrisers Hyderabad have very good sides. I think these three sides on paper did extremely well in the auction,'' said Badani on the sidelines of the launch of Junior Super Kings inter-school tournament.
Meanwhile, he is disappointed with the way Tamil Nadu performed in white-ball cricket this season. However, Badani hopes they will perform better in the Ranji Trophy which begins early next year. Tamil Nadu, having won Ranji Trophy twice with the last one coming in 1989, will be led by Sai Kishore in the coming season. "I have known him (Sai Kishore) since he was a young kid. He is an intense player and somebody who gives his heart and soul. He will drive the side forward and instill a fighting spirit. Now, the team and the coaching staff need to complement him with their ideas and at times give him the freedom to express himself," said Badani.
Tamil Nadu have been doing well in white-ball cricket thanks to the young players' exposure to TNPL. However, this season, that was not the case. "We are in a transition phase, but our performances in the white-ball tournaments were below par. We have not done well in red-ball too. We haven't even qualified for knockouts in the last five to six years. I am not saying we must every time(championship) that we play. But we must at least qualify for the next stage consistently," said Badani. "I think we have a good side this year, but the key thing is how you plan. It is the most crucial thing and the four-day format allows you to prepare plans, unlike T20, which is more dynamic and requires making decisions on the go. So, I hope that with coach Sulakshan Kulkarni we do well," said Badani.
Jr Super Kings Inter-School Championship from Dec 26
The eighth edition of Junior Super Kings inter-school T20 tournament will be held between December 26 and January 26. This year, the tournament will see teams from outside Tamil Nadu participating for the first time. Overall, there will be 101 teams from across 18 districts of Tamil Nadu apart from teams from Bangalore, Andhra Pradesh and Goa. The 18 districts are: Chennai, Trichy, Villupuram, Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Salem, Namakkal, Erode, Vellore, Ranipet, Krishnagiri, Madurai, Dindigul, Sivagangai, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Tenkasi and Kanyakumari.
The first leg of the tournament will be played in knockout format from Dec 26 till Jan 7 across Chennai and other districts. Two teams from Chennai and six from other districts will play second phase in Tirunelveli from Jan 22-26 in league format with the final played under lights. All the matches will be covered in Super Kings Academy’s digital platforms.