MS Dhoni Left Disappointed As TNCA Declines His Request To Include Jharkhand In Buchi Babu Tournament

MS Dhoni might be one of the most if not the most loved cricketer in Tamil Nadu but it has not stopped the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) from rejecting a request from him.

The Chennai Super Kings captain had requested TNCA to include the Jharkhand state team in the upcoming Buchi Babu tournament. The tournament is an invitation competition and in the past several legendary cricketers like Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, Anil Kumble, as well as MS Dhoni have participated in it.

The iconic competition has officially been revived after a six-year gap due to Tamil Nadu’s poor performance in the Ranji Trophy. While usually eight teams used to participate in the competition, the upcoming edition will see a total of 12 teams participating in it. The tournament will be played from August 15-September 11.

The playing conditions will be similar to the Ranji Trophy’s. The matches will be played in a four-day format with Dindigul, Salem, Tirunelveli, and Coimbatore being the venues. The 12 teams have been divided into four groups of three teams each. The top team from each group will make it to the semifinal.

The dates are set!?#tnca#buchibabucrickettournament pic.twitter.com/Mv3TglEuq1

— TNCA (@TNCACricket) August 11, 2023

TNCA rejects MS Dhoni’s request:

With the TNCA reviving the iconic competition, MS Dhoni wanted Jharkhand to participate in it too. However, TNCA turned down his request due to the lack of an open slot.

“MS Dhoni wanted Jharkhand included, but it was too tight. We couldn’t fit them because we already have 12 teams.

“Even Services and Chhattisgarh wanted to participate. We have decided to hold the tournament in Coimbatore, Salem, Dindigul, and Tirunelveli on green-tops as it will give players a good preparation since clubs use the event to prepare for the pre-season,” TNCA secretary RI Palani said.

At a time when the western, eastern, and northern parts of the country are lashed with rain due to monsoon, the tournament gives the state teams from those regions the ideal opportunity to prepare for the domestic season. In the upcoming edition, Indian Railways, Mumbai, Baroda, TNCA President’s XI, Tripura, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, TNCA XI, Kerala, and Bengal are set to participate.