Du Preez, Ismail seal series for South Africa

South Africa Women 274 for 3 (Du Preez 79*, Kapp 72) beat Sri Lanka Women 207 for 8 (Siriwardene 68, Ismail 3-34)
Scorecard

South Africa Women took an unassailable 2-0 lead courtesy of three top-order half-centuries, as they beat Sri Lanka Women by 67 runs in the second ODI in Potchefstroom.

Sri Lanka elected to field, but early breakthroughs were a difficult commodity as 21-year old Lizelle Lee and Trisha Chetty strung together an opening partnership of 72 runs. Chetty was the more dominant partner and departed first, caught in front by Shashikala Siriwardene. Lee held firm, reaching her third ODI half-century and when she fell in the 29th over, South Africa had already built a strong foundation at 141 for 2. Captain Mignon du Preez, with an unbeaten 79 and allrounder Marizanne Kapp, with 72, constructed an excellent charge, with the final 10 overs yielding 82 runs.

Sri Lanka's chase was hampered early when seamer Shabnim Ismail had the openers bowled inside the first five overs. Siriwardene offered resistance, with good support from No. 6 Chamani Seneviratna. Their 95-run partnership ensured Sri Lanka remained in the hunt, but when Ismail returned and had Siriwardene out for 68 in the 37th over, the chase began to slip away. An equation that read 120 runs off 78, proved enough cushion for offspinner Sunette Loubser to run through the lower order and limit the visitors well below their target.

"The top order did really well to get us to a good position so I'm happy with the first innings," said du Preez. "There were a few extra runs that we didn't need to give away but I'm happy with the way the bowlers recovered. It was definitely a team effort today."

Du Preez wanted to take the momentum from this win into the third and final ODI on Monday and whitewash Sri Lanka. "It would be really good to finish with a three-nil series victory, we look forward to going out there and giving it our all."

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Ranji pitches and points system in focus

With another Ranji Trophy season set to begin, the familiar complaints about the quality of pitches and the points system are in the spotlight again. Too many sides are happy to roll out flat tracks and convert matches into first-innings batting shootouts. There were a few exceptions like Rohtak and Mohali, where bowlers enjoyed themselves last season, but in many other venues centuries came easily.

At the start of the 2012-13 season, under the supervision of Sanjay Jagdale, the former BCCI secretary, the board had asked the pitch and grounds committee to prepare true pitches. At the BCCI's captains and coaches meeting held at the end of the previous season, Jagdale had pointed out that the percentage of outright victories had actually increased overall across the country, though only marginally. Last year, in 115 Ranji matches, there were 45 outright results (39.1%), while in 2011-12 there were 34 outright results in 88 matches (38.6%).

Still, the bland nature of the surfaces has forced teams to target the three points on offer for taking a first-innings lead in a draw. "The standard of the wickets has to be improved a lot," Mumbai's coach, Sulakshan Kulkarni, said. Mumbai, traditionally the powerhouses of Indian domestic cricket, had only one outright victory in the league phase last season, but still accumulated enough points to sneak into the quarter-finals.

Tamil Nadu coach, WV Raman, remains positive that pitches will improve with time. "The directive to not have the tracks that were really flat or facilitate a run-fest has changed the dynamics somewhat," he said. "Teams will have to be patient before every venue implements the right measures."

More than the pitches, Raman said the grey area is the awarding of points to teams. Last year, the number of points awarded for a victory was increased from five to six, while the points for taking the first-innings lead in a draw was retained at three.

Raman felt teams needed to be given even more motivation to not settle for draws. "I still stick to my guns that the points system has to be changed," he said. "You still need to give some incentive to force the issue and go for outright victory, then it becomes a habit. We should also help teams learn to play under pressure and play to win."

One change both Kulkarni and Raman are happy with is the BCCI technical committee's move to give an additional day's break between group matches starting from the fourth round. The coaches felt the extra rest would help keep the best players fit throughout the campaign.

"The main reason is to give a break to fast bowlers," Kulkarni said. "Because injuries to them has become the biggest worry not only for the domestic teams but also for players who are on the fringes of selection into the Indian team."

Plenty of quick bowlers including Irfan Pathan, Praveen Kumar, Munaf Patel, Varun Aaron and Zaheer Khan have spent lot of time recovering from injuries at the NCA in recent years. A coach of a prominent team chirps that the NCA was becoming renowned as a National Rehabilitation Centre, instead of an academy that grooms and readies a pool of match-fit players. The extra day's break will hopefully help the quicks maintain their fitness and make more of an impact on India's premier first-class tournament.

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Haryana not overawed by Tendulkar factor - Jadeja

Ajay Jadeja, the former India allrounder, finds himself playing a part in what is likely to be Sachin Tendulkar's final domestic match and, while relishing the prospect of an unexpected encounter, says his team won't be overawed by the occasion.

Jadeja, who came out of retirement to lead Haryana in the Buchi Babu tournament, and will now do the same against Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy, says he isn't quite sure of the role he'll be able to play on the field at his age - bordering 43 - apart from mentoring the side.

He denied there was any pressure on his players to push themselves more because of the hype surrounding the game. Instead he felt it was a rare chance for them to test themselves against someone like Tendulkar. "The match is going to be played on the ground. Whether there is hype or no hype there is no player who turns up not wanting to do his best. This is a player's career, his life.

"It's wonderful to have people watching because if there's interest in the game and people talking about it, it can only inspire you. That encourages our team to go out there and do what needs to be done. It's not as though you can do something extra just because of the hype.

"The coach needs to tell people not to get overawed all the time. We are looking at this as an opportunity to play against the best in the world. You always have a shot when you walk on to the park. This is not an under-15 team. Sachin Tendulkar will have an effect, but the squad is full of professional first-class cricketers, so they'll be looking at it as a chance to play against the greatest ever."

He paid tribute to Tendulkar's longevity. "I've been watching him for 30 years," Jadeja said. "He is enjoying the game today as he did when he started off. For a player any match, whether it is his first or last, is about enjoying the game. I have never seen him do anything different in any match. he always gives it everything.

"Some of us were fortunate to spend time with him. He is considered the god of cricket, so to have been able to spend that time with him, on the field and travelling, I consider myself lucky, at least I can tell my kids about the times I spent with him. The last memory is of beating them in Mumbai. That's the last memory I carry of a Ranji encounter against Sachin."

Jadeja remarked that there was no need for people to go to France - a reference to Zaheer Khan's trip to meet with fitness expert Tim Exeter - when they had facilities in the country such as the ground in Lahli. "It's wonderful for us at Haryana. We've been here a few weeks, we live at the ground. There are nets available all day. The facilities at the ground are terrific. We have indoor nets. If someone wants to be away from the crowd, play cricket and get fit, you don't necessarily have to go all the way to France."

The playing square had a a liberal covering of grass and Jadeja said it would help the quick bowlers. "This is my first game here. The pitch has been helpful to seamers but there have been occasions of 500-plus scores. Walking in, my first thought was wondering where they were going to mark the crease, because it all looks green at the moment on the square. So that probably gives you a little hint. Let me put it this way, I think it will help Zaheer for sure."

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All eyes on Delhi's Sehwag and Gambhir

Delhi: The Sehwag and Gambhir show?

By Vishal Dikshit

Where they finished last season
After losing (3) more matches than they won (2), Delhi finished fourth in group B behind Uttar Pradesh, Baroda and Karnataka. Despite enforcing a follow-on against Vidarbha in their last match of the season, Delhi fell three wickets short of a quarter-final berth.

Big Picture
Since winning the title in 2007-08, Delhi have qualified for the knockouts only once - in 2009-10. The 2011-12 season was particularly poor for them, when they won only one match and finished second from bottom in Group B. Last season, none of their batsmen or bowlers were among the top 15 run-scorers or wicket-takers: Mithun Manhas was their highest run scorer and Sumit Narwal got them the most wickets, and both players are aged over 30. This season, they will be without Shikhar Dhawan for the beginning of the season, if not for most of it.

However, that's not to say they'll be short on star openers - unless they make unexpected comebacks to the Indian Test team, starting with the West Indies series, they should be available for Delhi through the season. And with both likely to be trying their hardest to work their way back into top form and earn a national recall, that augurs well for Delhi.

Delhi have a new coach in Sanjeev Sharma, who was promoted from assistant coach to coach because Vijay Dahiya wasn't available due to his IPL commitments. They also have a more-than-decent pace attack led by Ashish Nehra and comprising Parvinder Awana, Pawan Suyal, Rajat Bhatia and Sumit Narwal, who will have to make up for an inexperienced spin attack. Questions remain however, over how much the 34-year-old Nehra will play; he has said he may not be able to play back-to-back matches.

Coach Sharma is of the view that the conditions in Delhi will make the seamers and fast bowlers critical to the team's chances. "In the conditions we have, especially in the months of November and December, fast bowlers perform very well," he told ESPNcricinfo. "Seventy per cent of the bowling will happen after 10-15 November, so with the wickets and the moisture in the pitches here and in other parts of north India, like Punjab, we depend on our fast bowlers."

Key players
Still a part of the India squad at the beginning of the domestic season last year, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir will begin this season in hopes of making it to the national team once again. Even though Gambhir has two recent first-class hundreds, one against West Indies A and the other against Gloucestershire, his record for Essex during his short county stint, with 239 runs from seven innings at 34.14, wasn't exhilarating.

Sehwag, on the other hand, has hardly played any first-class matches since his last Test, against Australia, in February. In two innings against West Indies A he produced scores of 7 and 38 in the middle order before rain in the Duleep Trophy final didn't give him a chance to bat. He did not opt for a county stint and neither did he go to France to work on his fitness like India's other senior discards. A new season might be their last chance to make it back to the national team, whether in the top order or middle. There's no saying whether, by some luck, they'd make it to the home Tests against West Indies when the team is picked on October 29. If they don't, the runs will have to flow this Ranji season for them to state their case.

Click here for the full squad.

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Gujarat: Can they find consistency this year?

By Rachna Shetty

Where they finished
Fourth in Group A, behind Punjab, Saurashtra and Mumbai.

Big Picture
All through the group stage in Ranji Trophy last year, Gujarat were in with a chance of making it to the knockouts from Group A. At crucial junctures, however, their campaign seemed to run out of steam. It's a weakness that their new coach, Vijay Patel, is well aware of and one that he says the team has worked hard on addressing in the off-season.

"Our major problem was that we lost our bowlers towards the end of the season last year," Patel said. "But we have addressed that this year. We started preparations for this season after August, in spite of the weather in Ahmedabad, and recently played a four-day game against Baroda as part of our preparations."

Among the bowlers to watch out for, Patel pointed out pacer Bhargav Merai and spinners Samit Gohel, Chirag Gandhi and Jesal Karia. Gujarat have had some of their players - Bhavin Thaker and Avi Barot - choosing to play for other teams in the lead-up to the season. Patel, who returns to the team as a coach, replacing Mukund Parmar, brushed away the transfers, saying the side was a settled unit. "There was a lot of competition to finalise this squad," Patel said. "Last season, whenever youngsters, like Smit Patel, were given a chance, they performed and that has only been good for us."

Players to watch
Gujarat's batting has a good mix of seniors like captain Parthiv Patel - their leading run-getter in last year's tournament - and Venugopal Rao, but the focus will also be on youngsters like Smit Patel and Manpreet Juneja. Juneja, in particular, hit some form in recent games for India A, scoring 193 against New Zealand A in a four-day game, followed by half-centuries against West Indies A in the four-day game in Mysore.

Another key player for Gujarat is Rakesh Dhurv. The left-arm spinner was the leading wicket-taker for Gujarat last year - 36 wickets in eight games at an average of 25.55. His experience will be important in leading a young Gujarat attack.

Click here for the full squad.

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Odisha: Underdogs seek to upset

By Kanishkaa Balachandran

Where they finished last season
Sixth place in Group B.

Big Picture
One of the more low-profile teams on the Ranji circuit, Odisha struggled last season to push for a position in the playoffs. A team lacking star players won just two games, though it was a marginal improvement from the 2011-12 season in which they failed to win a single game and finished at the bottom of the table. They began last season with a rained-out draw against Tamil Nadu, lost by ten wickets to Delhi but their campaign gained mileage with two consecutive wins against Haryana and Karnataka and at the end of that round, Odisha were on top of the table in Group B.

That was followed by a draw against Maharashtra, and they failed to consolidate their position. Their batting struggled in the three following games as the side failed to pass 200 in six innings. Even a target of 145 against Uttar Pradesh was out of reach as they ended their Ranji season folding for 101. Debashis Mohanty, the former India fast bowler who is the Odisha coach, acknowledged that the batting was biggest problem but added that the team played "positive cricket" in order to push for results.

The team now has a new captain in Biplab Samantray, who takes over from Natraj Behera. The squad's practice in the lead-up to their first game against Punjab was interrupted by heavy rains in the state but Mohanty said the players had begun preparations well in advance and was confident the team would be well prepared.

Key players
Odisha has produced less than a handful of players who have been selected for India, but from this squad, one of the more recognisable names who could put himself on the selectors' radar is Biplab Samantray. The middle-order batsman and medium-pacer has been a part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad squad in the IPL. Samantray was among only two centurions for Odisha in the previous Ranji season and he ended the season with 18 wickets. Samantray has featured in the East Zone team and this season is a chance to push for higher honours, such as the India A squad.

After Debashis Mohanty, the other Mohanty making waves is Basant Mohanty, the right-arm seamer. Basant was the team's leading wicket-taker last season with 33 wickets at an average of 16.27 and a miserly economy rate of 1.91. His only five-wicket haul sent Haryana crashing to 66 in Rohtak to bring up the team's first win of the season. More will be expected of him this season.

Click here for the full squad.

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Vidarbha: Developing side aiming for glory

By Amol Karhadkar

Where they finished
Fifth in Group B, one point behind the third qualifier from the group, with two outrights wins and six draws.

Big Picture
Vidarbha started the previous season with an outright victory against Haryana, and added another six points to their kitty in the penultimate round against Odisha. Still, the most low-profile of the three teams that hail from Maharashtra, Vidarbha was never really in contention for a spot in the knockouts. Besides the two victories, their only notable performance was against Tamil Nadu, when they grabbed three points for the first-innings lead.

A look at the batting and bowling charts reveals it was a sort of miracle that Vidarbha ended up in the middle of points chart. Neither a batsman nor a bowler from Sairaj Bahutule's team featured in the top-25 run-getters and wicket-takers. While Faiz Fazal was the only batsman to aggregate more than 500 runs, Sandeep Singh was the most successful bowler with 27 scalps.

Perhaps, the numbers are enough to justify Bahutule's claim that "playing as a unit" is Vidarbha's biggest strength. At the same, Bahutule, who has taken over as coach after retiring from first-class cricket at the end of last year's Ranji Trophy, realises the team needs to perform more consistently. In order to strengthen the batting unit, Vidarbha have replaced Shiv Sundar Das with his former Orissa team-mate Rashmi Parida, who is renowned for holding the innings together.

Even though the Ranji league stage will only end in the new year, Vidarbha's fortunes will be clear midway through the round robin stage, as they play all four of their home games early in the campaign. If the team doesn't impress in its home outings, they may well be fighting to avoid relegation as they go on the road against the likes of Mumbai, Punjab and Delhi.

Players to watch
Umesh Yadav will be keen to cement his place in the Test side and regain his place in ODIs with a strong showing for his home team. The more he is available for Vidarbha, the better it would be for the team since he can work in tandem with left-arm seamer Shrikant Wagh, who had been rewarded with an India A place during off-season. And Rashmi Parida's presence might spur on not only the young home-grown batsmen but also the other import, former India batsman Hemang Badani who had a mediocre last season with Vidarbha.

Team speak
"We are a developing side. The boys are getting a taste of the elite division. Hopefully this year, we won't just be competitive but we will be contenders as well."
Sairaj Bahutle, the Vidarbha coach

Click here for the full squad.

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South Africa sense swift finish

South Africa are one wicket away from wrapping up the second Test swiftly according to AB de Villiers. Despite Pakistan being only four wickets down at the end of the third day, de Villiers said one more scalp would open them up.

"With the new ball around the corner we just need to be patient tomorrow. We feel if we get one more and then we have the wicketkeeper in there, we can run through them," he said.

Apart from Misbah-ul-Haq, who is at the crease on 42, Pakistan do not have much in the way of solid batting to come. Still trailing by 286 runs, they will need a massive effort from their captain and healthy contributions from the lower order to bat out at least a full day if they hope to avoid an innings defeat.

On a pitch that is expected to become more difficult for batsmen during the last two days, that would seem nothing more than fanciful but Saeed Ajmal was able to remain optimistic. "The wicket is not that bad," he said. "It's still good for batting. There was a bit for the new ball bowlers and it's spinning a little bit but there are still runs in the pitch.

"Although we didn't perform well in our first innings, we saw South Africa put on over 500 in their innings. If we can bat the whole day, runs will come slowly. We hope our batting can be as good as our bowling."

But de Villiers was not convinced that they would be up to task, especially when reflecting on how South Africa's lower-order coped on the third morning. They lost their last four wickets for 31 runs and struggled against the spin Ajmal was generating. "That shows you how well Graeme played. It's not easy," he said.

Smith added only seven runs to his overnight score and de Villiers increased his score by the same number but their quick dismissals barely had an impact on the state of the game. The hard work had been done the day before, when Smith and de Villiers shared in South Africa's highest fifth-wicket stand and wore down Pakistan's attack.

They swelled the lead to 361 by the end of the second day and only wanted a little more on the third morning. "We talked about declaring somewhere after lunch. That didn't happen but we still wanted the runs we wanted to," he said. "We wanted the lead over 400."

South Africa were bowling six minutes before lunch and took two wickets in that time, creating expectation for a third-day finish. Dale Steyn found considerable swing but the house of cards did not collapse as quickly as the early incisions suggested.

Instead of frustration, de Villiers said it was an important lesson for South Africa's bowlers. "We like to finish a Test in two days if we can," he admitted. "But it's important to remind the bowlers that you need to be patient to get wickets on this pitch."

He also did not expect lightening to strike twice for Pakistan's line-up. "I don't know if they played really poorly in the first innings. There were maybe a few soft dismissals. I think they will be quite angry with themselves," de Villiers said. "But it's not over. We still respect the game and the opposition a lot."

Niceties aside, de Villiers seemed certain South Africa will square the series on Saturday. "We missed a trick early on in Abu Dhabi and sometimes, the minute things turn on you it's difficult. Pakistan played too well," he said. "This time around we were a bit more ruthless."

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Hafeez agrees to BBL contract with Renegades

Mohammad Hafeez, the Pakistan allrounder, has agreed to a Big Bash League contract with the Melbourne Renegades. He will miss the first two games of the tournament due to international commitments with Pakistan in the UAE. This will be the first time he will play in the Australian T20 league, which begins on December 20.

"I have agreed [to] a deal with Melbourne Renegades," Hafeez told ESPNcricinfo. "Playing in Australia is always a tremendous experience and the opportunity will allow me to play around the best players. Since the 2015 World Cup will be in Australia, my stint will help me acquire ample acquaintance of Australian conditions."

Hafeez is currently Pakistan's leading run scorer in T20Is with 1093 runs, and has led the Pakistan T20 squad since June 2012 to 12 victories out of 18 matches. He last toured Australia in 2005, and had a poor run averaging just 12.50 in six ODIs. He most recently featured for Guyana Amazon Warriors in the inaugural Caribbean Premier League.

Hafeez was recently dropped from the Test squad for the South Africa series in the UAE, and is likely to miss out on the Tests against Sri Lanka in December. Hafeez is currently training ahead of his departure to the UAE for the limited-overs leg of the South Africa tour, which begins on October 30.

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West Indies tour game set to be shifted from Cuttack

Incessant rains are likely to deal a double-blow to cricket fans in Cuttack: the fifth ODI between India and Australia is set to be washed out, and now the Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) is likely to lose out on hosting West Indies' three-day tour game, starting from October 31.

It is understood that OCA secretary Asirbad Behera and president Ranjib Biswal have already communicated their association's inability to host West Indies' match against Uttar Pradesh to the BCCI officials, ahead of the two-Test series beginning in Kolkata on November 6. While accepting the OCA's request since "the outfield won't be ready in time for the game", the BCCI has zeroed in on Mumbai as the venue for the warm-up tie.

Though the Mumbai Cricket Association hasn't been formally informed about the change in venue, the decision will be finalised during the BCCI working committee meeting in Chennai on Saturday. Both the MCA vice-presidents Ravi Savant and Vijay Patil will attend the working committee meet, with Savant showing up as the BCCI vice-president, while Patil as the MCA representative.

Despite the Wankhede Stadium being unable to stage the game less than two weeks prior to the start of the Test match, three more venues in Mumbai can stage the warm-up match. It would be interesting to see if the match is allotted to Cricket Club of India's Brabourne Stadium or the Dr DY Patil Sports Stadium on the outskirts of the city, with MCA's facility at Bandra-Kurla Complex also being in contention. CCI was promised an allotment of matches by BCCI president N Srinivasan during the AGM in September, while Patil, the architect of DY Patil stadium, has been pushing for hosting more games in Navi Mumbai.

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Tough task for defending champions

Mumbai: Likely to face a challenging season

By Nagraj Gollapudi

Where they finished
As Ranji Trophy champions. However Mumbai's journey was not a smooth one: they could muster only two outright victories in eleven matches.

Big Picture
Until Zaheer Khan delivered an inspired match-winning, and season-turning, spell against Madhya Pradesh in the penultimate group match, Mumbai's ride last season had been wobbly. Once they reached the semi-finals, however, Mumbai's determination and much-talked-about aura was restored as they cruised to win the 40th Ranji title comfortably.

Their troubles have not been washed away in the new season. If Mumbai are honest, they will admit this is likely to be one of their most challenging seasons. Their weakest suit is their bowling. Ajit Agarkar's retirement and Ramesh Powar's decision to play for Rajasthan has left a void that cannot be filled immediately. In the last decade, Agarkar and Powar were pillars on which Mumbai's success story was built. Both men not only bowled tireless spells, but also returned to the crease to deliver match-saving cameos and, occasionally, match-winning ones. Along with another stalwart, Wasim Jaffer, the trio was the bridge that connected the new generation to the ethos of Mumbai cricket: cuss out the opposition.

So far only Dhawal Kulkarni, from among the newer lot, has shown the capability of coping with the rigours of domestic cricket. However, Mumbai's chief concern will be their inexperienced spin attack led by the left-arm spinners, Iqbal Abdulla and Vishal Dabholkar. Abdulla, three short of 100 wickets for Mumbai, has remained inconsistent despite chances over the last few years while Dabholkar has just played four matches so far. It is something opponents will aim to capitalise on.

Mumbai would do well to take advantage of the presence of Sachin Tendulkar, Zaheer Khan, Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane and gain early momentum in the group stage.

Players to watch
He is not attractive, but he can get under your skin - with bat, ball, and with his blunt sledges. A quiet man off the field, Abhishek Nayar showed his ability to make big noise when he finished as the second-highest scorer in Ranji Trophy with 966 runs and 19 wickets. So far this season, he scored two fifties and a century against the A teams from New Zealand and West Indies and also hit a fifty in the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy. In the absence of established players like Zaheer, Rohit and Rahane - due to fitness issues or national commitments - Nayar is steadily growing into the go-to man for Mumbai.

Team speak
"To do well in Ranji Trophy, it is all about consistency. Along with that fitness and how we perform in the away games will be the three goals we will need to meet." Abhishek Nayar, Mumbai vice-captain.

Click here for the full squad.

Punjab: Young and well-rounded

By Nikita Bastian

Where they finished
Semi-finalists, after topping Group A.

Big Picture
After a couple of ordinary seasons, when they finished in the lower halves of their groups, Punjab were arguably the most dominant side in the group stages last year. They won four of their first five games - two by an innings, one by eight wickets and the other by nine - and despite not winning any of their remaining group games finished almost 10 points clear of the next team. In the quarter-final, they piled up a whopping 699 for 3 with Taruwar Kohli hitting an unbeaten triple.

Punjab's strength was that, in a batsman-dominated competition, their bowlers were very successful. In their ten games, they managed to bowl out the opposition for below 300 eleven times. They took full advantage of the traditionally seamer-friendly conditions in Mohali, winning all their home games. Among the tournament's top five wicket-takers, two were from Punjab. Siddarth Kaul was second on the table with 44, and Sandeep Sharma was No. 5 with 41.

That's not to say the batting was far behind. Three of their batsmen scored over 500 runs - Mandeep Singh (595), Uday Kaul (652), and the tournament's leading run-getter, Jiwanjot Singh (995). The only glitch in their season was being bowled out for 59 against Mumbai, when Ankeet Chavan ran rampant with a nine-for.

Coach Bhupinder Singh, the medium-pacer who played a couple of one-dayers for India in the mid-90s, said last year offered valuable experience for what is a "young team". "This is a young bunch and they played good cricket last year, and they are richer by one year's experience. I hope we are able to take the next step now, past the semi-finals."

Missing from Punjab's squad is batsman Karan Goel, who's out with a shoulder injury, but should be fit later in the season. Legspinner Rahul Sharma has also not made it for the first match, with Bhupinder saying Punjab has him in the reserves but views him primarily as a limited-overs option. Left-arm spinner Bipul Sharma has been dropped and is likely to shift to Himachal Pradesh. Then there's Yuvraj Singh, who, while not named in the squad for the first game, "has promised to play if he's not part of the Indian Test team [for the West Indies series]". If Yuvraj plays, he will be the go-to man for the team's young batsmen, while captain Harbhajan Singh will mentor the bowlers.

Players to watch The squad's big addition this year is pace bowler VRV Singh, who last played first-class cricket in the 2007-08 season before being sidelined by a back injury. VRV Singh, 29, who has played Tests and ODIs for India, underwent surgery on his back, and returned to competitive cricket last year when he played in the domestic T20s. Since then, Bhupinder said he has been easing his way back into cricket, playing for longer and longer periods. "He's bowling well and I think he can be my surprise package this year," Bhupinder said. "He seems in good shape and is generating good pace." Given that India always seem lacking on the bowling front, and that before the injuries arrived he was impressive enough to impress the likes of Ian Bishop, the Indian selectors might well be keeping a quiet eye on how he does.

Jiwanjot Singh, 22, was the tournament's top-scorer in his debut season. He has since made it to the India A team and the North Zone team for the Duleep Trophy. He has played 15 first-class matches, but not a single recognised limited-overs game. That, Bhupinder said, is down to his style of play: "Jiwanjot is more suited to the longer version. He's more into technical correctness. Batsmen from five, seven, ten years back, he's more in that mould. Plays very straight and has a good defence."

Click here for the full squad.

Jharkhand: Eager to shine in the big league

By Vishal Dikshit

Where they finished last season
Jharkhand finished second in Group C last year. Three outright wins and as many draws took them to the quarter-finals against Punjab. They were promoted to Group A for this season.

Big Picture
The beginning of Jharkhand's season will be watched for the comeback of two players who have had fleeting international careers so far - Varun Aaron and Saurabh Tiwary. While Tiwary had a shoulder operation in August, Aaron has been plagued with injuries since he last played for India in 2011. Jharkhand also have a new coach in Subroto Banerjee and two new recruits - Bhavin Thakkar and Bhavik Thaker.

Middle-order batsman Thakker last played a first-class game in the 2010-11 season, for Himachal Pradesh, and averages 35.62 from 37 first-class matches. Thaker, also 31, moved from Gujarat, who did not give him a chance in the last season, and averages 40.

Their bowling, an area of strength, features one of the most promising spinners in the domestic circuit. Left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem, captain of the side, was also their highest wicket-taker in 2012-13 with 42 wickets from nine games. He will be accompanied by offspinner Sunny Gupta who took four wickets against North Zone in the recent Duleep Trophy semi-final. Shankar Rao and Ajay Yadav will handle the pace attack. While Rao averaged 24.65 last season with 26 wickets, Yadav played only five matches and impressed with 23 wickets, mainly through his haul of 11 wickets against Services and 10 against Tripura.

Jharkhand began their Ranji campaign last year with an outright win - an innings and 31 runs against Jammu & Kashmir - but will face a stiffer challenge in their first game against Delhi this year. While they shone in the lightweight Group C last season, the more accomplished opponents this season will test how far Jharkhand have progressed.

Key players
Saurabh Tiwary amassed 602 runs in the previous season at an average of 46.30, including two hundreds and three fifties. However, his comeback is likely to be tough. He hasn't played a professional match in more than five months and will be facing more potent attacks this season.

Varun Aaron, on the other hand, hasn't played since IPL 2012 due to the recurrence of a back injury. The bowler recently said he had made a "slight adjustment" to his bowling action and hoped that the tweak would help him last the season. Jharkhand will be hoping it works out that way, as a fully fit Aaron will make the side's attack formidable.

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Haryana: Ajay Jadeja in the spotlight

By Devashish Fuloria

Where they finished
Eighth in Group B with one win in eight matches.

Big Picture

Last year, Haryana were bowled out for 55 on the first morning of their opening Ranji Trophy match - their lowest-ever Ranji total - against Vidarbha. In their second match, they were again bowled out for a lowly 66 but despite the batting debacles, the conversation every time teams played in Rohtak hovered around the seamer-friendly conditions in Lahli, their home ground.

Their batting line-up will have the services of old stalwart Ajay Jadeja this year, who came out of cricketing hibernation this year when he played Buchi Babu tournament for the team, at the ripe age of 42. Jadeja, with experience of 8046 first-class runs, will have the responsibility of not only leading the team with the bat, but also provide direction as the coach.

Haryana's first match this year will be under media glare for being the last first-class match for Sachin Tendulkar, Jadeja's former India opening partner. For Jadeja, though, it's a new start and he will have the tough job of setting the scene for the long season ahead.

Key players

With Amit Mishra likely to be away on national duty and the batting being the weak link, Haryana will depend on key contributions from seamer Mohit Sharma, who relished the conditions at the home venue last year. He collected a rich haul of 37 wickets, that included three five-fors, at an average of 23.24. But Haryana may have to do without him for chunks of the season as he is not too far from being called up to the national team, at least for the limited-overs matches against West Indies and South Africa.

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CCS demoted after arriving late to match

Cricket Coaching School has been demoted from the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League for arriving late for their match against Brothers Union on October 8 . They will play First Division Cricket League next season, and all points scored against them or by them will be removed from consideration as had happened last season when Surjo Tarun were relegated for a similar reason.

They were reportedly were stuck in a traffic jam on Jatrabari road while en route to Fatullah Cricket Stadium from Kalabaga. According to match referee Samiur Rahman, who was travelling with the team on the 20km journey, a lorry had collapsed on the other side of road, approximately 10km from the ground, forcing one lane to be closed and a collision between two buses caused more delay.

CCS reached the ground ten minutes before the toss, but about 45 minutes after their scheduled arrival time. The match referee asked for a delayed start, because a provision for a 30-minute grace period had been added to the by-laws because of the Surjo Tarun incident last year - they had arrived late to BKSP ground and were demoted to the First Division Cricket League. But Brothers Union refused to take part in the toss and boycotted the match.

The tournament was closed for Eid holidays but, on Wednesday, the league's organisers Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis, who were investigating the matter, announced the verdict and said it was taken according to the tournament's rules.

The Dhaka Premier League will resume on October 27 and CCS's demotion means that only one other team will face relegation this season. Currently, Khelaghar and 17-time champions Abahani are at the bottom of the table, with one win each, but since Abahani's win was against CCS, those points will be taken away, leaving them winless.

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Kenya to play seven Twenty20s against Sri Lanka A

Kenya will play seven Twenty20s against Sri Lanka A in Colombo ahead of the World Twenty20 Qualifiers in Dubai. The series, which begins on Sunday after being organised at short notice, will also serve as match practice for several Sri Lanka players, ahead of New Zealand's limited-overs tour of the country.

Sri Lanka Twenty20 captain Dinesh Chandimal will lead the A team, as he did on New Zealand A's recent tour, with Lahiru Thirimanne named vice-captain. Sri Lanka players Shaminda Eranga, Kusal Perera and Jeevan Mendis have also been named in the 24-man preliminary squad, alongside a host of emerging cricketers, including Akila Dananjaya and Kithuruwan Vithanage.

The series will be 42-year-old Steve Tikolo's first assignment after coming out of retirement for the World Twenty20 Qualifiers, and the team will be led by Collins Obuya. Kenya's squad for the series includes all of their WT20 Qualifiers players, and two more, in Gurdeep Singh and Emmanuel Bundi.

Five of the matches will take place at the Colombo Cricket Club and two at the Nondescripts Cricket Club. The series will end on November 2, with the tight schedule made possible by playing two matches a day, on October 29 and 31, and November 2.

The World Twenty20 qualifiers begin on November 15.

Kenya squad:
Collins Obuya (capt), Rakep Patel, Morris Ouma, Nehemiah Odhiambo, Hiren Varaiya, Shem Ngoche, Steve Tikolo, Ragheb Aga, Nelson Odhiambo, Elijah Otieno, Dhiren Gondaria, Thomas Odoyo, Gurdeep Singh, Emmanuel Bundi, Duncan Allan, Irfan Karim

Sri Lanka A squad:
Dinesh Chandimal (capt), Lahiru Thirmanne, Kusal Perera, Mahela Udawatte, Shehan Jayasuriya, Upul Tharanga, Ashan Priyanjan, Kithuruwan Vithanage, Angelo Perera, Danushka Gunathilaka, Yashodha Lanka, Niroshan Dickwella, Ramith Rambukwella, Chaturanga de Silva, Akila Dhananjaya, Seekkuge Prasanna, Milinda Siriwardene, Isuru Udana, Ishan Jayaratne, Kosala Kulasekara, Lahiru Jayaratne, Dilhara Lokuhettige, Jeevan Mendis, Shaminda Eranga

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