PANAJI
The 4th edition of Panjim Gymkhana Members League (PGML 4.0) is bound to present an electrifying fare for Goan cricket lovers as the current Ranji Trophy wicketkeeper-batter Samar Dubhashi, hard-hitter Tunish Sawkar and experienced top-order bat Rajshekhar Harikant have signed up for the annual carnival of cricket at one of India's most picturesque venue, the Panjim Gymkhana ground, Campal. The Team Jerseys were also unveiled on the occasion.
With Harshad Gadekar and Robin D'Souza also in the mix since last season and their instant impact savoured by the big number of spectators drawn by the weekend matches, the arrival of Samar, Tunish and Rajshekhar consolidates the brand PGML in the cricketing landscape of Goa.
Naturally, the seven franchise teams went after their desired picks at the Players Auction on Sunday with proven all-rounder Harshad Gadekar turning out to be the most expensive player, his destination now being a rejuvenated Baale Tigers, who left the chasing pack behind.
RC Goa welcomed Samar Dubhashi into the PGML family, giving an insight into their balanced approach to team building this season. Last year's runners-up Dempo Challengers appeared elated to have signed all-rounder Tunish Sawkar, who is known to be a destructive batter in the T20 format and also tailor-made for their requirement of younger age-group players that the former champions looked to bring into their side this year.
Desserts N'More Avengers were successful in bidding for the experienced Rajshekhar Harikant, one of the top cricketing minds in the format.
Defending champions Manas Mavericks, who had a brilliant team last season, had to be content with signing back a few of their key contributors in the form of Mehank Dharwadkar and Ajinkya Kudtarkar while others like Robin Dsouza (Baale Tigers) and Abhijit Bhandare (RC Goa) were snapped up by the rivals.
Prescon Panthers and Priority Titans could well prove to be surprise packages with their unique combinations of nuanced understanding of the game. While former champions Prescon Panthers have studded their team with Pai Kakode brothers- Manish and Anish; Priority Titans have picked former rival captains with match-winning pedigree Kiran Shirvoikar and Samir Chodanker.
Panjim Gymkhana also achieved a milestone of sorts, as 14-year-old Vidhi Bhandare became the first youngster from PGCA to be picked at the auction by Manas Mavericks - the first franchise to introduce mix-gender flavour at PGML.
President of Panjim Gymkhana, Manoj Caculo highlighted the growth of PGML emphasising on the role it is playing in development of grassroot cricket in Goa. "It is great to witness the emergence of young talented players from the Panjim Gymkhana Cricket Academy. From the six players we had in the fray at the auction, one was a girl and we are delighted to see her to get an opportunity in the PGML. We thank all the franchises, who have also taken our trainees to soak in the match-day atmosphere in general. We believe our trainees will go on to play for Goa and notch above," asserted Caculo.
