Dubai: Former Pakistan pacer Sikander Bakht has hailed the talent that has emerged from India and is playing in the ongoing Indian Junior Players League (IJPL) being held at the Dubai International stadium. The IJPL tournament has been formed following a talent hunt at the grass root level from all over India for development of upcoming cricketers in the under-18 category and is recognised by the School Games Federation of India.
Bakht, who is here as the commentator of the IJPL, said: “The IJPL is just two days old and the tournament has already produced some sensational performances. I hope people back in India are following the exploits of these young talents.”
The tall and lanky Bakht, who had the sheer pace to run through any batting line-up during his heyday, once destroyed the Sunil Gavaskar-led Indian team’s batting line-up during the Delhi Test of 1979 with a spell of 8 for 69, couldn’t hide his admiration for two young cricketers who sparkled in the tournament. “Anshul Choudhary and Aryan Lakra were a sheer delight to watch and it’s so nice to see these young guns completely fired up to bowl and bat, just in the footstep of the legendary Imran Khan and Kapil Dev.”
A total of 16 franchise teams are competing for the IJPL Trophy and the winning purse of Rs2.1 million (Dh112,000).
Both Aryan and Anshul came up with sterling performances in the tournament. Playing for Uttar Pradesh Heroes, Aryan produced a five-wicket spell and hit 12 runs off 17 balls while Rajasthan’s Anshul bagged three wickets and hit 18 runs off 15 balls.
A number of promising youngsters are driving trophy aspirations of the Gujarat Greats, Kolkata Strikers, Bangalore Stars, Assam Rangers, Pune Panthers, Delhi Dashers, Ranchi Boosters, Punjab Tigers, Dehradun Rockers, UP Heroes, Hyderabad Hawks, Chennai Champs, Rajasthan Roarers, Mumbai Masters, MP Warriors, and Haryana Hurricanes.
UP Heroes trounced Bangalore Stars by seven wickets. Bangalore Stars were dismissed for 76 runs in 13.3 overs with Lakra’s five-wicket spell doing the bulk of the damage. In reply, UP Heroes reached the target losing just three wickets in only 12.1 overs.
In another match, Delhi Dashers could muster only 80 for 7 in 20 overs with Hitesh Kumar topscoring with 22 runs off 48 deliveries. Rajasthan, however, reached the target losing only three wickets with Younus Ali standing out for the winners with 29 runs off 14 balls and 21 off 21 balls.
