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Tag: Virat Kohli

  • South Africa sets eye on number one ODI ranking in New Zealand

    South Africa sets eye on number one ODI ranking in New Zealand

     MUMBAI: South Africa has a chance to reclaim the top spot in the Reliance ICC ODI Team Rankings when it faces New Zealand in first of the three One-Day Internationals (ODIs), which starts on Wednesday in Mount Maunganui.

    South Africa shares second position with India on 113 ratings point, but is ranked behind the reigning world champion by a fraction of the point. The two sides are just one ratings point behind Australia, and a 3-0 series will put South Africa ahead of the four-time world champion by one ratings point.

    If South Africa manages to win all the three matches against New Zealand, then it will reclaim the number-one position for the first time in five years after handing over the baton to Australia following its first-round elimination from ICC Champions Trophy 2009.

    On the other side of the coin, if New Zealand wins the series, then it will leapfrog Pakistan into sixth position. Currently, both Pakistan and New Zealand are on equal points on 98 ratings points but the Black Caps are in seventh position when the ratings are calculated beyond the decimal point.

    Meanwhile, AB de Villiers of South Africa goes into the forthcoming series as the number-one ranked batsman in the Reliance ICC ODI Player Rankings and he will be looking to build on his fine recent run of form as the Proteas and Black Caps continue their ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 preparations.

    Virat Kohli’s recent progression up the rankings following a good series against the West Indies has pushed Hashim Amla into second position and the South Africa opener will be aiming to reduce the five-point deficit.

    Overall, there are four South Africa batsmen inside the top 20, including de Villiers and Amla, with Quinton de Kock in ninth position and Francois du Plessis in 11th spot, just 19 ratings points behind his team-mate.

    New Zealand’s top-ranked batsman is Ross Taylor who sits in 10th place in the current rankings. There are two more New Zealanders inside the top 20, namely Kane Williamson and Martin Guptill and be eyeing positive improvements in their home series. Skipper Brendon McCullum lies 20 ratings points adrift of his team-mate Guptill.

    On the Reliance ICC Players Rankings for ODI Bowlers, South African paceman and LG ICC People’s Choice award nominee, Dale Steyn, will go into the series as the top-ranked bowler in third place, while ninth placed Ryan McLaren is a point adrift of Pakistan’s Mohammad Hafeez. Kyle Mills is Black Caps’ leading bowler in 13th place, with Tim Southee lying a solitary ratings point outside the top 20.

    Incidentally, Mount Maunganui, which is hosting the first two ODIs on Tuesday and Friday, will debut as an international venue this week. The third ODI will be played in Hamilton which will host South Africa’s ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Pool B clash with Zimbabwe on 15 February. Co-hosts New Zealand will also return to the north island city to face Bangladesh on 13 March.

    Meanwhile, India’s players have made gains in the latest rankings following their 2-1 series win over West Indies.

    Kohli has benefitted the most following his series contribution of 191 runs, which included a top score of 127 in the final match of the series in Dharamsala, as he has climbed one place into second position and 16 points off the top spot.

    West Indies all-rounder Marlon Samuels has leaped 20 places to 41st after compiling the highest series aggregate of 254 runs with two centuries. India’s Ajinkya Rahane is the other major mover in the batting rankings, moving up nine places to 59th position.

    Amongst the bowlers, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who is also one the nominees for the LG People’s Choice Award, has shown the most improvement by breaking into the top 10 for the first time by climbing seven places to seventh, just three point off his compatriot Ravindra Jadeja.

    Mohammed Shami ended the series as the most successful bowler with 10 for 174, following on from a fine recent series in England where he claimed eight for 152. Shami has vaulted five places to 16th and in doing so he has broken into the top 20 for the first time in his career.

    Jerome Taylor was the West Indies’ leading wicket-taker in the series and his tally of five for 181 in the three ODIs and has helped him return to the bowlers’ table in 143rd position. Andre Russell was another significant advancer and has climbed seven places to joint 63rdposition after claiming two wickets in the series.

    The ICC Player Rankings for all rounders sees Pakistan’s Mohammad Hafeez lead the way with a significant 24-point gap over Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews.

     

  • Satyamev Jayate’s impact on digital

    Satyamev Jayate’s impact on digital

    MUMBAI: Amidst sporting resurgence, budding talent and encouraging medal hauls, India’s talk show `Satyamev Jayate’ (SMJ) returned for a third season on Star Plus, highlighting the need for holistic improvement in India’s sporting field – a call that won backing from none other than the Sports Minister.

     

    In an unprecedented show of support to SMJ, Minister of youth affairs and sports Sarbananda Sonowal live-tweeted three times during the screening of episode one of season 3, calling for more suggestions to improve the culture of sports in India. “I promise not to leave any stone unturned to make sports a way of life,” the minister had tweeted. 

     

    Sonowal’s tweets were among the more than 200 million impressions created in a single day on 5 October in an overwhelming show of positive sentiments to SMJ. More than 2 million people responded through missed calls to support the show’s initiative.

     

     Star, as part of the `Mumkin Hai’ (change is possible) initiative, separately organised a live dial-in with SMJ’s host Aamir Khan in Chandigarh on the d-day that saw Bharat Ratna Sachin Tendulkar dial-in to share about his initiative called ‘sports4all’ and how sports should be reinforced at the grassroot level.

     

    “Aamir’s @satyamevjayate episode was a déj? vu for me, sports4all will change country’s future #MumkinHai,” Tendulkar said via Twitter afterwards.

     

    Legendary cricketer Kapil Dev also joined the live show and expressing his views, he said, “It is extremely encouraging to see how people in our country today are taking much interest in sports and paying attention to it in so many ways – whether it is in the form of discussions or even making blockbuster movies!”

     

     Sonowal and Tendulkar were joined by the likes of politician Naveen Jindal, former top cop Kiran Bedi, former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in praising the show.

     

    “Felt very good watching prog of @aamir_khan on #MumkinHai on sports! He has spread out for sports what @PMOIndia did for #SwachhBharat,” tweeted Bedi.

     

    “Are authorities at sports federations responsible for the deteriorating conditions of sports in India?”Arvind Kejriwal retweeted Satyamev Jayate’s tweet.

     

    “Satyamev Jayate has done what it does best – initiate a debate and inspire people to aspire for the better,” said Star India co-creator and CEO Uday Shankar. “The overwhelming response shows the thirst for change and that change is possible.”

     

    Over the last three seasons, SMJ’s journey has been remarkable. Unlike shows that fade with time, SMJ has grown to become a positive change agent that continues to grip people from across the length and breadth of the country with issues that concern each and every Indian in the daily life. This can be validated by the immense viewer engagement that the show has received in the past and continues to, even in its third season.

     

    Cricketer Yuvraj Singh was part of the live dial-in held in Chandigarh. He wrote afterwards on Twitter: “Just finished a show with @aamir_khan 4 @satyamevjayate wth kapil Dev. Gr8 topic, Sports builds character n creates a healthy mind n body.”

     

    The show trended for 24 hours in India at No. 1, 2 and 3, and also trended worldwide at No. 1 on Twitter, demonstrating the mass support for the show’s message on sports. SMJ also received huge support from top celebrities on social media including from eminent personalities such as Harsha Bhogle and Virat Kohli.

     

     “Wonderful, moving episode of #satyamevjayate. Never know where champions are coming from, just need to empower more people,” wrote Bhogle on Twitter.

     

    Inspired by the show, Kohli tweeted, “Saw @satyamevjayate yesterday. Hope every school now starts to focus more on sport. Well said @aamir_khansport is education!”

  • Indian cricketer MS Dhoni forays into football

    Indian cricketer MS Dhoni forays into football

    MUMBAI: Indian cricket team captain M S Dhoni has been announced as the new team co owner of Chennaiyin FC team.

     

    Dhoni, who is known to have a passion for football and bikes other than cricket, will be part of the upcoming Hero Indian Super League that promises to create a revolution in Indian football and help launch a new era for the game. Other cricketers who own a stake in various teams include Saurav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli.

     

    The announcement was made by Chennaiyin FC co-owner Vita Dani who felt that it was an absolute honour to have Dhoni as one of the co owners of the franchise. “Mahi has a strong association with the people of Chennai and so with him coming on board, we take another giant step towards achieving the goal of creating a world class football club in Chennai” she commented.

     

    Expressing his excitement on becoming a co-owner of Chennayin FC, Dhoni stated that he used to be a goalkeeper in school and always enjoyed playing and watching the game. “The Hero ISL is a fantastic platform for football to grow with IMG-Reliance and Star India associated with it. I look forward to an exciting season ahead but at the same time it’s important that we develop the grassroots level and produce more football stars in India,” he added.

     

    Chennaiyin FC starts its Hero ISL campaign with an away game against FC Goa on 15 October while their first home fixture is against Kerala Blasters on 21 October.

  • We will break even in 2-4 years, says FC Goa’s Shrinivas Dempo

    We will break even in 2-4 years, says FC Goa’s Shrinivas Dempo

    MUMBAI:  Think Goa, and the imagery that one gets is that of sun kissed beaches and churches. Well, Goa is much more. While Sunday afternoons are a  siesta time for many, villages here come alive with sports fans coming together to organise and participate in what seems to be Goa’s first love – football.

     

    Local clubs like the Dempo’s, Salgaocar’s and Churchill Brothers are known names, which through years of play and support from their respective owners, have become a household name in the state. However, now the fan base is set to expand, thanks to the upcoming Hero Indian super League. With eight teams from across the country gearing up, it doesn’t come as a surprise that Goa too has a franchise called FC Goa.

     

    Owned by Dempo Group of Companies chairman Shrinivas Dempo, VM Salgaocar and Brothers managing director Dattaraj V Salgaocar, Videocon Group chairman Venugopal Dhoot and cricketer Virat Kohli, FC Goa is geared up for the tournament.

     

    The club has global football legends as part of its team. Arthur Antunes Coimbra better known as Zico is their marquee coach. Zico has been a part of three world cups playing for his national team Brazil. Former Arsenal star Robert Pires is the team’s marquee player.

     

    Dempo, a well known businessman, is a massive football fan and is also the vice president of the All India Football Federation (AIFF). He is of the opinion that the league promoted by Star, IMG-Reliance and AIFF has come at the right time. He explains with an example, “Youngsters today, do not wear cricket jerseys. They wear jerseys of Arsenal and Chelsea. We need to convert these youngsters to home grown players.”

     

    When asked why the football fever hasn’t caught up in the country despite a format like the I-League already existing, he explains, “We were always in a dilemma why people were not taking to the I-League.  And we felt it was the egg and chicken story.  It was quality and marketing that was required and I think the ISL has provided that platform.”

     

    At the international draft of the ISL, FC Goa proved to be the most generous as it spent Rs 2.46 crore on seven players. “It’s a high cost game. We are ready to invest money and in a few years see the returns. We will break even in three to four years” he adds.

     

    In terms of infrastructure Dempo feels that Goa has the best infrastructure in the country but still there is a lot to be done.  The club wants to have a stadium of its own but currently will be utilising the government-owned Fatorda stadium in south Goa.

     

    Speaking about Kohli acquiring a stake in the team, he informs that it was the cricketer who had approached them a few months back. He says that the cricketer will be an asset to them as he represents sports passion and is a youth icon.

     

    Dempo says “We have got professional people to run the team. We will be there from a policy perspective and advisory role.”

     

    Speaking further on Stars role to telecast the ISL matches in five languages, he finds it a very good move which will help the game to penetrate the market. “The quality of coverage of the I-League is really not up to the mark, but here we will get the best of coverage” he adds. He also feels that the I-League will not become what the Ranji trophy has become because of the IPL. The 45 year old says, “The I-League is the core competition and we will continue with it.”

     

    The team will be investing money to widen and enlarge the reach of the game in Goa. For this, it will be targeting more schools and under the guidance of Zico and assistant coach Arthur Papas, a scientific programme and high-pitched grassroots programme targeting youngsters from nine years onwards is being sketched out.

     

    FC Goa had announced its principal sponsor as Videocon D2H and kit partner as Adidas. It is also looking at local sponsorships ahead of the kickoff on 12 October. Videocon d2h will also be launching a new channel on its direct-to-home platform centering on the team. A magazine for fans too is slated to be launched.

  • FC Goa announces Virat Kohli as its new co-owner cum ambassador

    FC Goa announces Virat Kohli as its new co-owner cum ambassador

    MUMBAI: The Hero Indian Super League (ISL) franchise of Goa, FC Goa today unveiled its new co-owner, celebrity cricketer Virat Kohli. With Kohli coming on board, the team now is composed of four owners. The other three are Venugopal Dhoot of Videocon, Shrinivas Dempo and Dattaraj Salgaocar, both businessmen from Goa. Videocon d2h was named as the principal sponsor for the team.

     

    FC Goa also introduced its marquee coach, Brazilian football legend Zico and its marquee player, Robert Pires. Bollywood actor Varun Dhawan has been named as the team’s ‘first friend’.

     

    Present at the ceremony were Football Sports Development founding chairperson Nita Ambani who said that one of the main goals of the ISL was to promote the game at the grassroots levels by involving millions of kids through various programmes of the eight franchises.

     

    The Adidas team kit consisting of the jersey was also unveiled at the ceremony. Talking about the team kit Adidas India brand director, Tushar Goculdas says that the Goa team represented one of the ‘most passionate centres’ of football in India. He adds, “The team is supported by a strong backbone with owners having great footballing heritage, Virat- a world class athlete and Zico, one of the greatest artists of the beautiful game.” The team jersey will be available to FC Goa fans to purchase in a few weeks time.

     

    Speaking about his new venture, Kohli comments, “The experience of stalwarts like Zico and Pires will further strengthen the already strong DNA that the team possesses, thanks to the Salgaocar, Dempo and Videocon Groups’ involvement.”  According to sources from the team  it was Kohli  himself who approached the team owners to gain a stake in FC Goa.

     

     Videocon Industries chairman of the board Venugopal Dhoot says that the four partners shared a common dream which was to make a valuable contribution to Indian football and elevate the standards of the sport in the country.

     

    FC Goa is also the first Indian sports club to launch a satellite TV channel  called  the FC Goa TV which will be telecast on Videocon d2h with exclusive and innovative programming. The shows will also include specials such as on field programmes.  In addition to this, a special magazine dedicated to the team’s fans was also revealed.

     

    Dempo Group of Companies chairman and managing director Shrinivas Dempo while speaking to indiantelevision.com says that the ISL has come at the right time just after the FIFA World Cup fever. Speaking on the role of the four owners, he says, “We will look after the administration and management side of the game while the technical aspect and strategies of play will be looked by Zico and the players. Together we will work for the team’s overall success.”

     

    V M Salgaocar and Company managing director Dattaraj Salgaocar too agrees and says, “The Dempo group and we share decades of support towards football through our local football clubs.” In terms of sponsorship he says they are still looking at getting brands on board and are also looking at local brands for tie ups.

     

    FC Goa will kick off the first game of the Hero Indian Super League against Chennaiyin FC at home ground on 16 October. The team was launched on 26 august 2014.

  • IPL Fantasy League user base crosses 10 lakh

    IPL Fantasy League user base crosses 10 lakh

    BENGALURU:  TenTenTen Digital Products (TTT) announced that its fantasy cricket game user base has nearly doubled to cross the 10 lakh mark. TTT says that this probably makes it the biggest cricket game in the world.

     

    The company informs that the biggest success of the IPL Fantasy League has been the high level of traffic it has witnessed. Since its launch in 2013, the Fantasy League website has had over 60 lakh unique visitors clocking in nearly 2.75 crore page views, with an average session spanning eight pages over 13 minutes. TTT says that the league also saw global participation with almost 18 per cent of visitors coming from 213 countries outside India. After India, the countries with most visits were the UK and the US, followed by the UAE and Pakistan.

     

     TTT managing director and CEO Ramesh Srivats says, “The challenge this year was to make the best game even better. We approached this at two levels. We enhanced the experience for serious players by adding features like Stealth Mode, Scheduled Changes, and even the ability to track league positions live. And for casual players, we made the game more enjoyable with All Stars, Facebook Leagues and fun features like Dishooms. The response has been overwhelming, and now we have already started thinking about what new stuff we can add next year.”

     

    Sharing additional data, the company claims that all three game modes saw increased participation. Over 4.5 lakh people played the Championship Mode, and 36 lakh Daily Challenge teams were created.  The new game mode – All Stars – where casual players could create a team by picking at least one player from each franchise saw nearly 3 lakh people participating in it.  TTT informs that the ability to create user leagues also drew heavy engagement, with users being able to face-off against friends and colleagues for bragging rights. Over 60,000 such leagues were created with a combined membership of nearly 4.5 lakh players this year.

     

     Users could also join fan leagues, to indicate the teams they were rooting for. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) was at the top with over 1.17 lakh users. When it comes to the ‘most wanted’ players of this season, based on users’ choice across all 60 matches, Glen Maxwell topped the list followed by Virat Kohli, Sunil Narine, Dwayne Smith and Suresh Raina.

     

     The winners of the IPL Fantasy League were awarded the official team jersey signed by KKR players along with a special cricket bat and a hamper of IPL memorabilia. In addition to this, The Daily Challenge winners were also given tickets for the playoff matches.

  • After IPL, it’s party time for cricketers at CEAT Cricket Awards

    After IPL, it’s party time for cricketers at CEAT Cricket Awards

    MUMBAI: At a star-studded ceremony held on Monday, CEAT Limited hosted the 2014 edition of the CEAT Cricket Rating International Awards to raise a toast to the gentleman’s game. 

    Both international and domestic talent was honoured on the basis of CEAT Cricket ratings for the year 2013-14. 

    India’s top batsman, Virat Kohli, was awarded Overall International Cricketer of the Year. Incidentally, he had won Cricketer of the Year earlier in 2011-12.

    Left-handed opener Shikhar Dhawan was conferred CEAT ODI player of the year while the youngest of the lot, Vijay Sol took home CEAT Young Player of the Year Award.

    In the T20 format, Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan won CEAT International T20 player of the Year while Australia’s Mitchell Johnson picked up CEAT International Test Player of the Year.

    CEAT Indian player of the year went to Ravichandran Ashwin while IPL Season Seven Star and Australia’s own, Glenn Maxwell walked away with Most Popular Choice of the Year Award.

    A new category Domestic Cricketer of the Year was introduced to recognise talent in the domestic circuit. This time, Robin Uthappa bagged the title.

    RPG group chairman Harsh Goenka said, “This is a reiteration of the close association CEAT has with cricket and our endeavour is to recognise individual brilliances on the international cricket scene.”

    However the highpoint of the evening came when the name of cricketing legend and one of India’s greatest wicketkeepers Syed Kirmani was announced for CCR International Lifetime Achievement Award. 

    Kirmani got a standing ovation from the crowd as he received the award, teary eyed, to a rousing applause. The man who represented India in 88 tests and 49 ODIs and called it a day after sending cricketers packing a record 234 times was accompanied by his family on the occasion.

    Chief adjudicator of the CEAT Cricket Rating and India’s greatest opening batsman Sunil Gavaskar said “CEAT International Cricket rating Awards is one of the most important events in the cricketing calendar as it recognises the achievements of the players from grassroots to the international arena. And it has now reached its 19th year.” 

    On Kohli’s win a second time this year Gavaskar said, “It is good to see an Indian winning the main award again and that he has won it a second time at such a young age.”

    The event featured a comedy act performed by renowned stand-up comedian Saurabh Pant, who through his witty one liners on cricket, brought cheer to the packed audience. The event culminated with a sensational Bollywood performance by Desi Boys star Chitrangada Singh.

  • Selectors pick squads for Bangladesh and England tours

    Selectors pick squads for Bangladesh and England tours

    MUMBAI: The All-India Senior Selection Committee which met in Mumbai, earlier today has finally picked the two squads for the ODI series to be held in Bangladesh and the test series to be held in England.

     

    Suresh Raina will lead the Indian team during the ODI series to be held in Bangladesh on 15, 17 and 19 June. The matches will be held at the Shere Bangla stadium in Mirpur. The team members comprises:  Suresh Raina (Captain), Robin Uthappa,  Ajinkya Rahane,  Cheteshwar Pujara, Ambati Rayudu,    Manoj Tiwary, Kedar Jadhav, Wriddhiman Saha, Parvez Rasool, Akshar Patel, Vinay Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Stuart Binny, Mohit Sharma and Amit Mishra.

     

    Captain cool Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli may have been kept out to provide them much needed rest before the crucial England tour. Uthappa who is the leading run scorer in the ongoing IPL is now all set to make a comeback in Team Blue.

     

    Meanwhile the Indian squad for the England test series is as follows:  M.S. Dhoni (Captain), Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Gautam Gambhir,Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Ravinder Jadeja, R Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Ishwar Pandey, Ishant Sharma, Stuart Binny, Varun Arora, Wriddhiman Saha and Pankaj Singh.

     

     

    The England tour will begin from 26 June with a three-day game to be held in Leicester. India will play one more warm-up, three against Derbyshire (1-3 July) before the five-match test series that starts on 9 July at Trent Bridge. The other tests are to be played at Lord’s (17-21 July), Ageas Bowl in Southampton (27-31 July), Old Trafford (7-11 August) and The Oval (15-19 August). The tests would be followed by the five-match ODI series commencing on 25 August at Bristol before India completes the visit by playing a one-off T20 international against the hosts on 7 September at Edgbaston.

     

    But both the series will be in direct conflict with the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil that will begin from 12 June and culminate on 13 July.

  • Tata Motors’ passenger vehicles division is the official car partner for RCB

    Tata Motors’ passenger vehicles division is the official car partner for RCB

    MUMBAI: Tata Motors’ Passenger Vehicles Division today shared details for its association with the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) team as the official car partner. Captained by the super performer, Virat Kohli, the RCB team will see ace players like Yuvraj Singh, Chris Gayle & AB De Villiers, play this season.

     

    To expand the mutually beneficial contours of this partnership, both partners will shortly launch a series of joint initiatives to engage with their customers and RCB enthusiasts across India.

     

    Royal Challengers Bangalore VP, commercial operations & cricket academy Russell Adams said, “We are delighted to partner with Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles and look forward to embarking on some interesting and engaging outreach programs soon”.

     

    Virat Kohli, Captain of the Royal Challengers Bangalore said, “It is extremely encouraging to see more and more marquee brands and leading corporates come on board as team partners and the team looks forward to an exciting season ahead.”

     

    Speaking about the partnership, Tata Motors senior VP – sales & marketing passenger vehicles Ankush Arora said “We are happy to associate with a strong team like RCB. Through this association, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Division and RCB have brought their superstars together to offer a unique platform with an objective of engaging with customers and the youth of today around one of the biggest and passionate cricket tournaments, the IPL.”

     

    The current range of Tata Motors’ cars will be used to transport the team players. The BOLT logo features on the leading arm of the jersey as a partner of the team. The BOLT brand will also have significant brand exposure at RCB’s home ground, the Chinnaswamy Stadium, along with in-stadium promotional rights. The RCB team has established themselves as a stylish and cool team and have performed consistently last season. This partnership offers a perfect synergy for the values and attributes both partner brands have in common.

     

    Recently unveiled at the Auto Expo 2014, the BOLT is a sporty hatch engineered for global markets, through global teams across India, UK and Korea, It signifies enthusiasm for life, exudes sense of excitement, anticipation, and sportiness. It will set new standards in the hatch segment and is a true representation of the Horizonext philosophy, with best-in-class offerings. The BOLT showcases the Next in Design, Performance and Infotainment, from Tata Motors. 

  • BCCI to honour cricketers on 11 January

    BCCI to honour cricketers on 11 January

    MUMBAI: The seventh annual BCCI award ceremony will be held on 11 January 2014 to honour the best performers in senior and junior-level cricket, at the international and domestic level, in the twelve months from 1 October 2012 to 30 September 2013.

    Ravichandran Ashwin will be the recipient of the Polly Umrigar award, for being India’s best international cricketer of 2012-13. The award was previously won by Sachin Tendulkar (2006-07 and 2009-10), Virender Sehwag (2007-08), Gautam Gambhir (2008-09), Rahul Dravid (2010-11) and Virat Kohli (2011-12).

    Abhishek Nayar will receive the Lala Amarnath Award, for being the best all-rounder in the 2012-13 edition of the Ranji Trophy.

    The Mumbai Cricket Association, which Nayar represents, will collect the trophy for the Best Overall Performance in the 2012-13 season. The various teams representing the MCA won the Ranji Trophy, the Under-25 C.K. Nayudu Trophy, the Under-16 Vijay Merchant Trophy, the Women’s Under-19 Inter-State tournament, and finished runners-up in the Under-19 Cooch Behar Trophy.

    The achievers of 2012-13 apart, Rohit Sharma will receive the Dilip Sardesai award, for being India’s best cricketer in the recent Test series against the West Indies.

    A highlight of the function will be the felicitation of three former stalwarts – RG (Bapu) Nadkarni, Farokh Engineer and Late Eknath Solkar – for their contribution to Indian cricket. They will receive a memento and a cheque for Rs 15 lakhs each.

    The function will be held in Mumbai.