Team India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav will participate in the upcoming All India Buchi Babu Invitation Cricket Tournament, playing one match for the Mumbai state team under the leadership of Sarfaraz Khan. The tournament, starting August 15 in Chennai, will see matches held across four Tamil Nadu venues: Tirunelveli, Salem, Coimbatore, and Natham.
Yadav confirmed his participation on Saturday, stating that the tournament will serve as valuable practice ahead of the domestic season. “I will be playing in the Buchi Babu tournament. It will give me good practice before the domestic season starts. I will join the team after August 25,” Yadav told the Indian Express.
The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) announced the squad for the tournament on August 3, excluding Indian batters Ajinkya Rahane and Prithvi Shaw due to their commitments in County Cricket in England. Suryakumar Yadav will play in Mumbai's match against Jammu & Kashmir in Salem on August 27.
"Suryakumar will play the second match for Mumbai," an official from the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) said on Wednesday as quoted by PTI. “He will play tourneys like Buchi Babu, KSCA (Gold Cup) apart from Ranji Trophy where his presence will also motivate the youngsters in the team," a MCA source told PTI.
The Buchi Babu Invitational used to be a prominent season opener in Indian domestic cricket, drawing many Test stars. However, in recent years, it has struggled to attract big names. Notable past participants include Krishnamachari Srikkanth and Mohammad Azharuddin, as well as Sourav Ganguly during his comeback attempt in the mid-2000s. Following the Sri Lanka series, many Indian players are expected to participate in the Duleep Trophy in September, with the next international assignment being a two-match Test series against Bangladesh.
