After a five-year gap, one of the oldest cricketing competitions in the country will kick off across four venues in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday. The All India Buchi Babu tournament will feature 12 teams this year and, for the first time, has moved out of Chennai.
The tournament was first played in 1909 in memory of Mothavarapu Venkata Mahipathi Naidu, popularly known as Buchi Babu Naidu (1868-1908).
Buchi Babu played a vital role in taking the game to the masses in Madras. He then decided to conduct a Madras Presidency match in which the best players in the city would take on the Englishmen representing Madras Cricket Club. However, he passed away before the first edition could be held. From 1909, the tournament was named in his honour.
