PANAJI
Zooter Goa Super League 1.0 is shaping up to be a cricket tournament with a difference. With players ranging from the age of thirty years to 62 years, the four teams are set to get an even feel when they take to the field unlike in most other such fun tournaments where the balance is skewed with some teams having more youngsters than other outfits. Moreover, the tournament will also be played with the pink ball, adding to the vibrant feel of the inaugural edition to be held next month.
Estilo Legends owned by Dr Sagar Salgaocar, Strikers owned by Balkrishna Hodarkar, Ilyas Naroo's Naroo Panthers and Baale Tigers of Ashwin Chandiok, all vied for the best of the players in the auction conducted on Sunday.
"We got our strategy spot on for the players' auction, it's now on paper. Ultimately, cricket is to be played on the ground, let us have a good tournament," said Dr Salgaocar, whose team retained former Ranji Trophy all-rounder Saheel Dhuri.
Balkrishna Hodarkar highlighted the importance of picking the right players to form the nucleus of the team. Having the former Ranji Trophy all-rounder Robin D'Souza in the team as a retained player ahead of the auction and with his insights, the Strikers looked to be on the top of their game on the auction night.
Baale Tigers retained Kiran Shirvoikar while Naroo Panthers retained Mukhtar Kadri, among others as every team had a maximum quota of retaining three players. All-rounder Sayed Badi, who has played BCCI List A matches and T20 cricket for Goa, emerged as the most expensive player at the auction. Baale Tigers outbid Naroo Panthers to buy the 30-year-old big-hitting cricketer, who bowls fast medium, for 65 lakh points.
Another all-rounder with a big reputation having played crucial knocks for Goa Police in particular, Vinod Wilson was the second-most expensive pick at 63 lakh points, with Estilo Legends beating the rest of the teams to their top buy. Some of the other top buys include Basu Madar (bowler) 57.00 lakh for Estilo Legends; Ninad Pawaskar (all-rounder) 55.00 lakh for Strikers; Shishir Divkar (all-rounder) 49.00 lakh for Naroo Panthers; and Swapnil Malik (wicketkeeper-batter) 45.00 lakh for Strikers.
Founder of Zooter, Shushrut Nasnodkar was delighted to have received a fine response to his innovative venture. "Zooter has been operating in Mumbai for the last five years, doing 33+ tourneys. So, we wanted to do a similar tourney in Goa. We thought we would start with four teams and get about 70 registrations, but we got such a big boost with 120 players registering for the auction," he said.
