The Buchi Babu Cricket Tournament 2024 will start on August 15 and run till September 11 in Tamil Nadu.

Named after Indian cricket pioneer M. Buchi Babu Naidu, the Buchi Babu Cricket Tournament 2024 will see 12 teams compete for the title.

Buchi Babu Naidu is considered to be the 'Father of Madras Cricket and also founded the annual Madras Presidency Matches between Indians and Europeans.

Baroda, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat Cricket Association, Haryana, Hyderabad Cricket Association, Indian Railways, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand Cricket Association, Madhya Pradesh, Mumbai, TNCA President's XI and TNCA XI are the teams that will battle for the Buchi Babu Cricket Tournament 2024.

As per the format, these participating teams have been divided into four groups of three sides each.

Buchi Babu Cricket Tournament 2024 teams and groups

Group A: Madhya Pradesh, Hyderabad Cricket Association, Jharkhand Cricket Association

Group B: Indian Railways, Gujarat Cricket Association and TNCA President’s XI

Group C: Haryana, TNCA XI and Mumbai

Group D: Jammu and Kashmir, Chattisgarh and Baroda

Each team will play the other sides in four-day matches in a round-robin format. The table-topper from each group will advance to the final.

The Buchi Babu Cricket Tournament 2024 final will be played from September 8.

Sankar Cements Cricket Ground, Salem Cricket Foundation Ground, Sri Ramakrishna College of Arts and Science Ground and NPR College Ground are the four venues that will host Buchi Babu Cricket Tournament 2024 matches.

Since its inception in 1909-1910, the Buchi Babu Cricket Tournament was India’s biggest first-class tournament until Ranji Trophy competition came into existence in 1934.

The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) revived the All-India Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament after a gap of six years in 2023. 

Madhya Pradesh are the defending champions of the Buchi Babu Cricket Tournament after they defeated Delhi by a massive 250 runs in the 2023 final in September.

India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan and Sarfaraz Khan are some of the well known cricketers who will participate in the 2024 edition.

Where to watch Buchi Babu Cricket Tournament 2024 live

Live streaming of the Buchi Babu Cricket Tournament 2024 will be available on the TNCA app and TNCA's YouTube channel.

There will be no live telecast of the Buchi Babu Cricket Tournament 2024 on any TV channel in India.

Buchi Babu Cricket Tournament 2024 schedule and match start times

All match times are in India Standard Time (IST)

Day and Date	Match	Venue	Time (IST)
Thursday, August 15	Madhya Pradesh vs Jharkhand Cricket Association	Sankar Cements Cricket Ground	9:30 AM
Thursday, August 15	Indian Railways vs Gujarat Cricket Association	Salem Cricket Foundation Ground	9:30 AM
Thursday, August 15	Mumbai vs Haryana	Sri Ramakrishna College of Arts and Science Ground	9:30 AM
Thursday, August 15	Jammu and Kashmir vs Chhattisgarh	NPR College GroundÂ	9:30 AM
Wednesday, August 21	Jharkhand Cricket Association vs Hyderabad Cricket Association	Sankar Cements Cricket Ground	9:30 AM
Wednesday, August 21	Indian Railways vs TNCA President's XIÂ	Salem Cricket Foundation Ground	9:30 AM
Wednesday, August 21	TNCA XI vs HaryanaÂ	Sri Ramakrishna College of Arts and Science Ground	9:30 AM
Wednesday, August 21	Jammu and Kashmir vs Baroda	NPR College Ground	9:30 AM
Tuesday, August 27	Madhya Pradesh vs Hyderabad Cricket AssociationÂ	Sankar Cements Cricket Ground	9:30 AM
Tuesday, August 27	Gujarat Cricket Association vs TNCA President's XIÂ	Salem Cricket Foundation Ground	9:30 AM
Tuesday, August 27	TNCA XI vs Mumbai	Sri Ramakrishna College of Arts and Science Ground	9:30 AM
Tuesday, August 27	Baroda vs Chhattisgarh	NPR College Ground	9:30 AM
Monday, September 2	Semi-final 1	Sankar Cements Cricket Ground	9:30 AM
Monday, September 2	Semi-final 2	NPR College Ground	9:30 AM
Sunday, September 8	Buchi Babu Cricket Tournament 2024 final	NPR College Ground	9:30 AM

Photo credit: Imago

When he scored 439 runs for Rizvi Springfield in an innings that included 56 fours and 12 sixes, Sarfaraz Khan, then 12, broke the inter-school Harris Shield record for highest score. Currently, he’s had a record-breaking season for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy 2022, and the numbers speak for themselves.

Before Sarfaraz Khan, only two players had amassed 900+ runs in two Ranji Trophy iterations. He is the first player to accomplish this in a series of competitions. In the 2019�?0 Ranji Trophy season, Sarfaraz amassed 928 runs, and so far in the current campaign, he has scored 937 runs. The other players who have twice exceeded the 900-run threshold in a Ranji Trophy season are Ajay Sharma and Wasim Jaffer.

Sarfaraz has a batting average of 82.76 in 23 Ranji Trophy games, which ranks third among all players with 2000 plus runs scored. Over the course of the competition's 87 editions, only Vijay Merchant (98.35) and Sachin Tendulkar (87.37) have averaged higher than Sarfaraz. Average for Sarfaraz during the first two rounds of the Ranji Trophy in 2021�?2 is 133.85. In a Ranji Trophy season in which they have scored more than 900 runs, it is the fourth-highest for any hitter.

First-class cricket batting average for Sarfaraz is 82.83. It is the second-highest total for a batter in the format with 2,000 or more runs. Donald Bradman, who has 28,067 runs under his belt at an average of 95.14, is the only batter with a higher average.

The run machine is set to reap the rewards of his hard work and results. According to Times of India, he is in consideration for the Indian Test team to play Bangladesh in November.

"It’s impossible to overlook him now. His performances are speaking about his huge ability, and putting pressure on many in the Indian team. He will be a certainty when the selectors pick the Indian team for the Bangladesh Test series. He did well for India A last year in South Africa and he's an excellent fielder," Times of India quoted a BCCI source as saying.

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Madhya Pradesh (MP) will take on Mumbai (MUM) in the Ranji Trophy 2022 final at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru starting on Wednesday, June 22. The match will start at 9:30 PM IST (Indian Standard Time).

Under coach Chandrakant Pandit, Madhya Pradesh reached the Ranji Trophy final for the first time since the 1998-99 season after they beat Bengal by 174 runs in the semi-finals. Interestingly, Chandrakant Pandit was the captain of the Madhya Pradesh team when they played their last Ranji Trophy final in 1999.

On the other hand, Mumbai stormed into their 47th Ranji Trophy final after getting the better of Uttar Pradesh in the other semi-final on the basis of a first innings lead.

MP vs MUM Dream11 prediction

While Mumbai have won the Ranji Trophy a record 41 times, Madhya Pradesh are yet to lift the coveted title. 

The last time these two sides met in the Ranji Trophy, the match ended in a draw during an Elite Group encounter in 2020.

Going by recent form and past record, Prithvi Shaw-led Mumbai will start as favourites against Madhya Pradesh heading into the Ranji Trophy 2022 final.

MP vs MUM Dream11 team tips for Ranji Trophy 2022 final

Top Tip: Best batter

Mumbai’s Sarfaraz Khan has been the highest run-getter in the ongoing edition of Ranji Trophy so far. The 24-year-old has amassed 803 runs in five matches at a staggering average of 133.83. He has recorded three centuries and two fifties so far. Having accrued 490 fantasy points already, Sarfaraz Khan is a must-have fantasy pick for the Ranji Trophy 2022 final.

Top tip: Best bowler

In the bowling department, Madhya Pradesh’s Kumar Kartikeya has been one of the standout bowlers in the Ranji Trophy this season. The left-arm spinner has picked 27 wickets in five matches at an average of 16.33. He has already accumulated 190 fantasy points and will be a worthy fantasy pick for the final at 9.5 credits.

Top tip: Best all-rounder and wicket-keeper

Picking in-form Shams Mulani of Mumbai for the all-rounder slot is a no-brainer. The 25-year-old has been the leading wicket-taker in the Ranji Trophy this season, having bagged 37 wickets in five matches at an average of 14.59. Apart from his bowling credentials, Mulani has scored 292 runs at an average of 48.66. Having already amassed 354 fantasy points, one must pick Shams Mulani in their fantasy cricket team.

For the wicket-keeper spot, Madhya Pradesh’s Himanshu Mantri will be the preferred choice over Hardik Tamore of Mumbai. Mantri has accumulated 307 runs in three matches apart from fulfilling his wicket-keeping responsibilities. At 9 credits, the MP wicket-keeper will be a valuable addition to any fantasy cricket team and will look to add to his tally of 244 points. 

MP vs MUM probable playing XI

MP playing XI (probable): Yash Dubey, Himanshu Mantri (wicket-keeper), Shubham Sharma, Rajat Patidar, Aditya Srivastava (captain), Akshat Raghuwanshi, Saransh Jain, Puneet Datey, Anubhav Agarwal, Kumar Kartikeya, Gaurav Yadav

MUM playing XI (probable): Prithvi Shaw (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Armaan Jaffer, Suved Parkar, Sarfaraz Khan, Shams Mulani, Hardik Tamore (wicket-keeper), Tanush Kotian, Dhawal Kulkarni, Tushar Deshpande, Mohit Avasthi

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Punjab have a glaring conundrum in their hands after four completed matches where they have won just one and lost three. How many players do they leave unused in the line-up?

In the competition so far, the Punjab openers, KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal have batted out 164 and 155 balls respectively. Nobody else has batted more than 60 balls. Karun Nair, Sarfaraz Khan and James Neesham have faced 14, 20 and 7 balls respectively.

The make-up of the Punjab line-up is very similar to that of the typical T20 team - top-heavy and light in the middle. But when the openers have been this good without taking risks and the middle-order has had so fewer opportunities, why would Punjab try and fit in too many batsmen?

James Neesham's selection

The selection of James Neesham is perhaps the most bizarre of all. The Kiwi all-rounder has bowled 10 overs in three innings and conceded runs at a rate of 10.50. His batting is underutilized given his batting position. When a proper bowler in Chris Jordan or Mujeeb-ur-Rahman can be brought in, Neesham is surplus to their requirements.

Balancing the lower middle-order with no Neesham will be a challenge if Glenn Maxwell continues to be out of touch. If Mujeeb comes in for Neesham, it will help Punjab add a different dimension to their attack early on with Sheldon Cottrell and Mohammed Shami having some company in the powerplay overs.

The Sarfaraz Khan and Karun Nair cases

Sarfaraz Khan has been misused too at Punjab. More of a cheeky middle-overs batsman, Sarfaraz has often batted in the death with diminishing returns. His scoops, laps and nudges are better suited in the middle overs and when Punjab have a passenger in Karun Nair and Nicholas Pooran and Glenn Maxwell in the middle, No. 3 is the right position for Sarfaraz.

Karun Nair is a position wasted, particularly since he has no gears. Playing Mandeep Singh, known to finish off games ahead of him at No. 6 could help Punjab add flair and some lower-order stability without compromising too much on striking capacity.

Cottrell or Jordan

Sheldon Cottrell has leaked runs aplenty in the latter half of the innings. While his economy until the last four overs is quite impressive, not having that bowler in the death means Punjab need to add specialists to avert damage like the one that unfolded against Mumbai.

Cottrell and Mujeeb-ur-Rahman can be played alternatively with Chris Jordan in the setup too. It can help them space out their bowling strengths rather than rely too much on wickets upfront that's definitely not working.

Chris Gayle?

Chris Gayle, for now, should continue to be on the sidelines. The effect of partners from the same state batting together at the top is underestimated and Punjab have two players who were friends from teenage days in their opening slots in KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal. While the Universe Boss can be handy against some attacks, splitting this opening pair could only harm, more than do good.

With Gayle out of the picture, Nicholas Pooran is the first choice overseas player with Sheldon Cottrell or Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, Chris Jordan and Glenn Maxwell (at least for now), holding onto places. If Maxwell continues to be a no-show, Mujeeb, Cottrell and Jordan could play in tandem to strengthen the bowling.

Feature image courtesy: Twitter.com / Punjab

Pakistan head coach Mickey Arthur has requested the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) two grant him two more years to deliver “remarkable results�? He further went on to state that he wants captain Sarfaraz Khan sacked and leadership roles to be handed over to the youngsters in the team.

After Pakistan failed to qualify for the semi-finals of the 2019 Cricket World Cup, PCB��s Cricket Committee reviewed results of the past three years which included the Champions Trophy victory as well as the poor performances in the Test circuit.  

According to PTI, Arthur suggested to the Committee that Shahdab Khan should replace Sarfaraz as captain in the limited-overs formats, while Babar Azam should be given the responsibility of the Test side. PCB Managing Director, Wasim Khan will discuss the issue with other members on Wednesday before forwarding recommendations to the Board Chairman, Ehsan Mani.

Arthur, who has been with the Pakistan Cricket Team since mid-2016, has helped them reach the summit of the ICC T20 rankings. However, some bizarre performances in Tests and overall inconsistency in ODIs have been the point of concern for the Board.

Arthur and other staff members have their contracts expiring on August 15, with reports stating that he has also applied for the position of head coach with the Sri Lankan Cricket Board. On the other hand, PCB is trying to get Mahela Jayawardena for the job but currently, he is working with the Mumbai franchise of the Indian T20 League. If it becomes difficult for them to lure him with a higher salary package, Arthur may go on to retain his position.

Feature Image Courtesy: AFP/ Jewel Samad