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Vishal Dikshit
The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has sacked two selectors – Pradeep Kasliwal and Sanjay Patil – after a controversy over the squad picked for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, India’s domestic T20 tournament. While picking an inexperienced bowling attack as part of the 15-man squad on Monday, the five-member panel omitted their frontline quick Tushar Deshpande, leading to an uproar in the Mumbai circuit.
Deshpande picked 15 wickets in a victorious Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign last year. Upon finding out Deshpande’s omission, MCA president Vijay Patil summoned the selectors on Wednesday. It is understood the president sacked Kasliwal and Sanjay Patil, and the MCA later issued a statement saying the remaining three members of the panel – Milind Rege (chairman), Shridhar Mandale and Guru Gupte – were “appointed” as members of the “adhoc” senior selection committee until a new panel is appointed after the association’s AGM.
Deshpande and left-arm spinning allrounder Sujit Nayak have now been added to the Mumbai squad for the T20 tournament, which starts on Friday. Mumbai will take on Mizoram at the Wankhede Stadium in a Group D fixture on Friday.
This is the second controversy this year around Mumbai’s selectors, after the entire committee, with Ajit Agarkar as chairman, had stepped down in March. Mumbai had had an up and down 2018-19 season in which they won the Vijay Hazare Trophy but failed to make the quarter-finals in the Ranji Trophy, which put pressure on Agarkar’s panel.
Mumbai squad (for first three games): Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Jay Bista, Aditya Tare, Sarfaraz Khan, Sujit Naik, Siddhesh Lad, Shubham Ranjane, Dhawal Kulkarni, Shams Mulani, Parikshit Valsangkar, Raunak Sharma, Kruthik Hanagavadi, Deepak Shetty, Tushar Deshpande, Dhrumil Matkar