If all goes well, the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association could have a guest player in Madhya Pradesh pacer Kuldeep Sen, for the upcoming domestic season.
While the deal is not fully signed yet, it is understood the TNCA has given in-principle approval for hiring the fast bowler and is hopeful of the player getting the required No Objection Certificate (NOC) from his home association.
Kuldeep is known for his ability to bowl quickly, clocking above 140 kph, and could add much-needed firepower to the TN new ball attack alongside Sandeep Warrier and Trilok Nag.
The 26-year-old debuted for India last year in Bangladesh with a solitary appearance in the ODI series and is part of the Rajasthan Royals set-up in the IPL.
“While we have some good young pacers, we felt we needed an experienced bowler to do well in red-ball cricket, and we think Kuldeep could help us win the Ranji Trophy,” said a senior TNCA official.
Incidentally, Kuldeep made his first-class debut against TN in Dindigul in the 2018-19 season and has 52 wickets from 17 matches so far.
While TN has found considerable success in the game’s shorter formats, the team has not won a Ranji Trophy title since the 1987-88 season. The team has not qualified for the knockouts of the Ranji Trophy since the 2016-17 season, with its thin pace bowling department one of the main reasons for the lack of success in First-Class cricket.
This year as part of the preparation for the premier domestic tournament, newly-appointed coach Sulakshan Kulkarni conducted two fortnightly camps in April and May with nearly 30 players in Coimbatore and Dindigul.
The TNCA has also revived the Buchi Babu tournament, which will be played from August 15 to September 11 in a four-day format to make it an ideal preparatory tournament for the Ranji Trophy.
