Buchi Babu tournament is back after six years, but the TNCA rejects MS Dhoni’s request to include Jharkhand.

MS Dhoni, a former captain of India, had proposed including the Jharkhand state team in the upcoming Buchi Babu competition, however the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) rejected his proposal. Notably, the Tamil Nadu team’s poor performance in the Ranji Trophy has prompted TNCA to officially reinstate the domestic competition after a six-year break. The renowned tournament was last played in back in 2017.

The top two teams from each of the four groups—which each have three teams—move on to the semifinals—of the tournament, which features 12 teams. The matches, which were played over four days, took place at Dindigul, Salem, Tirunelveli, and Coimbatore.

The dates are set!#tnca#buchibabucrickettournament pic.twitter.com/Mv3TglEuq1

— TNCA (@TNCACricket) August 11, 2023

It’s interesting to note how many state teams have expressed interest in competing. The former captain’s suggestion was rejected because there was no available spot in the league because there are already 12 clubs in the Indian Premier League (IPL), including tight ties to the Chennai franchise.

Jharkhand was not selected, despite MS Dhoni’s desire.

We already have 12 teams, therefore we couldn’t fit them. Even Services and Chhattisgarh expressed interest in taking part. Due to the fact that clubs use the event to be ready for the pre-season, we have chosen to hold the tournament on green surfaces in Coimbatore, Salem, Dindigul, and Tirunelveli, according to TNCA Secretary RI Palani.

The resurgence of First-Class cricket is dependent on Buchi Babu: Srikanth

The reinstatement of the upcoming All India Buchi Babu Invitational Cricket Tournament has been lauded by K Srikkanth, a former captain of India and current chairman of selectors, who claims it is essential for the resurgence of First-Class cricket. He continues by mentioning some of the well-known Indian cricket players who have participated in the competition in the past.

“The resurgence of First-Class cricket is dependent on Buchi Babu. It’s great that the TNCA is bringing it back as a four-day format since that’s how you get into major league cricket.

“Some of the biggest names, like Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri, Roger Binny, G.R. Viswanath, and others, participated in this competition. You used to receive recognition on a national level in India if you performed well in this competition. Since playing against Indian players provided us with a great learning opportunity and exposure, you wanted to perform well against them, Srikkanth remarked at the tournament’s opening event on August 10.