Fast bowler Sreesanth is all set to return to competitive cricket after completing a seven-year ban on charges of spot-fixing during IPL 2013 with the Kerala Cricket Association’s (KCA) President’s Cup T20 tournament.
He was banned for seven years by the BCCI for alleged involvement in spot-fixing in the IPL and his time away from the game ended in September 2020 and now he is eligible to resume cricket and he is making the way back to cricket with a local T20 tournament organized by KCA.
The 18-day T20 tournament will be held at the SD College Cricket ground in Alappuzha from 17 December 2020 to 3 January 2021 after the KCA sought clearance from the Kerala Government.
There will be six teams named KCA Royals, KCA Tigers, KCA Tuskers, KCA Eagles, KCA Panthers, and KCA Lions – which have been selected by a committee constituted for the inaugural KCA President's Cup T20 tournament that will see a total of 33 games throughout the event.
KCA has announced that Sreesanth featured in the list of players for the tournament and has been picked in the KCA Tigers team led by Kerala captain Sachin Baby for the inaugural T20 event – which the state body is planning to stage annually in Kerala.
KCA said in an official press release, “The teams are a mixture of youth and experience. The tournament is expected to produce keen contests and provide a platform for many aspiring cricketers to showcase their skills.”
The board further added, “There shall be no franchisees or owners. Each team consists of 14 players and 2 support staff. There will also be 4 players "on-call" for each team if replacements are required.”
Meanwhile, Sreesanth thanked the selectors for the opportunity as the pacer was seen practicing hard in the nets wearing his Indian cricket team jersey.
The 37-year old bowler told ANI, “I'm grateful to the selectors for giving me this opportunity. This is something I have waited for 7-long years.”
Noteworthy, he last played for India in the 2011 Cricket World Cup, while he has 169 scalps to his name from 27 Tests, 53 ODIs, and 10 T20 Internationals that he has played for his country.
(With ANI/PTI Inputs)
