MUMBAI: The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has made it clear to the players that they have to play in all the local tournaments, including the Kanga League, in order to be considered for selection to the Mumbai senior team, as long as they are fit and available to play in these tourneys.
The Mumbai selectors, who picked the team for the Bapuna Cup in Nagpur, have already picked 25 players as probables for the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy.
In a communication (TOI had a copy) to all the Mumbai players, MCA secretary Ajinkya Naik has written: "Dear all, all the players are hereby instructed that it is mandatory to participate in all the MCA-affiliated tournaments to be eligible for selection for the BCCI tournaments, or else you will be not considered for selection. Kindly make a note."
"The reason why a player, who was a part of the Mumbai team last domestic season, has not been considered for any of the pre-season tournaments this time, and nor has he been considered for the pre-season Mushtaq Ali probables list, is because for the last few years, we've noticed that he has been avoiding playing in the local tournaments" a source in the MCA said.
An exception, of course, has been made for the India players in the Mumbai set-up, including Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane, who will miss the Bapuna Cup in Nagpur later this month as he has expressed his availability from October 1, for the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy eventually, which begins from October 16.
In a communication (TOI has a copy) to all the players, Mumbai senior team chief selector and former India pacer Raju Kulkarni has written: "As the cricket season approaches, your performance in the MCA tournaments is what will truly matter. We will be keenly following your performance in local cricket. Let your performances on the ground do the talking. My sincere advice to you is embrace challenges, grab opportunities, show sportsmanship, and most importantly be a team man. I wish you all the luck for the upcoming season."
In the 70s and 80s, even the Indian players from Mumbai used to take part in local tournaments, but the calendar wasn’t that clogged that time, with T20s not having arrived.
