11 Indian Cricketers Sign up for U.S. Minor League Cricket T20 Tournament Set to Kick Off on July 31
- They include ex-India under-19 player Smit Patel, former Delhi batsman Milind Kumar and ex-Gujarat pacer Siddharth Trivedi.
The USA cricket team is strengthening its core by recruiting foreign players. Several India-born cricketers have steadily joined the USA cricket circuit. Recently, a whopping 11 cricketers with experience in India, including ex-India under-19 player Smit Patel, former Delhi batsman Milind Kumar and ex-Gujarat pacer Siddharth Trivedi, have been named in the roster for Minor League Cricket T20 (MiLC), a franchise tournament in 27 cities in the U.S.
As per the USA Cricket, Patel is playing for the Manhattan Yorkers; Kumar for The Philadelphians; and Trivedi for St. Louis Americans.
The six-week competition, hosted by American Cricket Enterprises, kicks off on July 31 and is played over the weekend. It has attracted more than 80 first-class cricketers from all over the world.
A report in Cricbuzz said New Zealand all-rounder Corey Anderson will represent his home franchise Dallas, while South African spinner Dane Piedt will represent DC Hawks. West Indian spinner Rahkeem Cornwall will represent Atlanta Fire, while Pakistani players Sami Aslam and Hammad Azam will represent Golden State Grizzlies.
While the wicketkeeper-batsman Patel has already retired from tournaments organized by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and earned a contract with Barbados Tridents in Caribbean Premier League, he will most likely be joined in the U.S. by Trivedi and Kumar, who has represented Delhi and Sikkim in Ranji Trophy.
Kumar is already in the U.S. though his father, Suman Kumar told IANS on June 12 that while his son has played cricket in the U.S. and knows people related to cricket there, he is unaware of any news about his son signing a contract. There has been speculation over another former India under-19 spinner Harmeet Singh joining the league. However, the player could not be reached by IANS for confirmation.