Vengsarkar to mentor kids
In a bid to discover grassroots talent across the country, the School Games Federation of India on Friday launched the National School Cricket League at the Police Gymkhana in Mumbai with former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar brought on board as ‘ chief mentor’.
The NSCL will feature 16 teams drawn from various cities and will be played between November 1 and 11.
Trials for the league will be held from July onwards across 20 cities.
Vengsarkar who has vast experience in not only scouting talent but also as chief national selector, will assist the SGFI and will travel across India to select the young champions.
Said Vengsarkar, who scored 10,000 runs in 116 Tests and 129 ODIs, and was National Cricket Academy chief for a period, “As a former cricketer, it has always been my objective to give back to the sport in some way or the other. The SGFI platform has all the potential to take NSCL to every nook and corner of the country, and I believe, it will bring to the fore many talented players.”
The NSCL will comprise 16 teams from Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Pune, Assam, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Dehradun, Punjab, Kolkata, Rajasthan, Ranchi, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh.
Teams will be divided into four pools with the two top teams from each group qualifying for the knock- out stages. Ahead of the final battle for the NSCL Cup, the selection committee will pick 24 players for the SGFI national camp from where 16 will be shortlisted to represent the Indian schools cricket team at the Asian School Championship in Dubai this December.
Vengsarkar who has vast experience in not only scouting talent but also as chief national selector, will also assist the SGFI