The tournament will be played from August 18 onwards.
The All India Buchi Babu Invitational cricket tournament will commence from August 18 and will be played till September 9 this year. The tournament, which has a rich history will be hosted by the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) and will be played across multiple venues in Chennai. The tournament was first played in 1909/10. However, it was not amongst the ranks for many years and returned only in 2024. This time, the Buchi Babu tournament will be played amongst 16 teams across a period of 20 days.
AUSA-W
–
INDA-W
–
SVL
–
ROR
–
BVB
–
TBW
–
SIN-W
148/7
CAM-W
34/10
Singapore Womens beat Cambodia Women by 114 runs
SIN-W
29/2
CAM-W
28/6
Singapore Womens won by 8 wickets
SKA
–
ABF
–
SKA
–
GAW
–
ODW
–
SDS
–
NOR
–
HUN
–
NOR
–
SWE
–
SWE
–
HUN
–
HUN
–
NOR
–
SWE
–
NOR
–
SOS
103/2
ZGW
102/5
Sir Oliver Split beat Zagreb Warriors by 8 wickets
ZAS
106/8
ZGA
109/0
Zagreb Assassins beat Zagreb Sokol by 10 wickets
SOS
–
RJM
76/4
ZGA
–
ZAS
–
ZGA
–
SOS
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
YOR
75/4
SOM
–
DURH
–
NOR
–
BB
–
MID
–
ESS
–
SURR
–
DER
–
WOR
–
HAM
–
LEI
–
SUSS
–
LAN
–
GLO
–
GLAM
–
CEC-A
–
KGC
–
KRMPS
–
BCC
–
TCC
–
KGC
–
BNC
–
NCMI
–
JJ
–
CEC-A
–
MYW
–
MGD
–
GBM
–
BNB
–
SML
–
BNB
–
HBT
–
MGD
–
ROS
–
MAT
–
MUT
–
RNC
–
YSG
–
IAI
–
SLGR
46/1
SLGY
–
Match Abandoned due to rain
LOS
–
TRR
–
NOS
–
BIP
–
LSW-W
–
TRW-W
–
NOS-W
–
BIP-W
–
PS
224/4
BANA
–
ACOM
–
HHA
–
MS-A
–
MR-A
–
CHK
–
PSA
–
NTS
–
NEP
–
Maharashtra, one of the 16 teams to take part in the tournament recently announced their squad for the matches. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain Ruturaj Gaikwad has been included in the squad, along with young Mumbai opener Prithvi Shaw. Ankeet Bawane is set to lead the side. To add to that, CSK speedster Mukesh Chaudhary also found a place in the squad. He will be a crucial option for the team upfront. Arshin Kulkarni, a youngster from the Lucknow Supergiants (LSG) will feature as one of the openers in the side.
The squad for Maharashtra showcases a balance amongst youth and experience. Though skipper Ankeet Bawane possesses a lot of experience, the likes of Arshin Kulkarni will bolster their batting. However, CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad and Saurabh Nawale will feature only for the first match of the tournament. Post that, they will be linking up with the West Zone for the Duleep Trophy.
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Former U19 pace bowling sensation Rajvardhan Hangargekar and Sachin Dhas will also feature in the squad for the Buchi Babu tournament. The tournament has acted as a stepping stone for many youngsters in the past and it is expected to provide players with some exposure before the next cricketing season. This season, along with the 14 teams actually proposed, two teams selected by the TNCA will also feature in the competition. These two teams will be the President’s XI and TNCA XI.
As per the format of the tournament, the 16 teams will be divided into four groups of as many teams each. Each team will play the other three teams in their own group once. The matches in the league stage will be three-day games. The first innings will be played for 90 overs each, whereas there will be 45 overs each for the second innings. Additionally, the knockout stage will have games played in the four-day format, with 90 overs played in each innings per side. The winner of each group will book the semi-final berth.
The tournament is named after Mothavarapu Venkata Mahipathi Naidu, popularly known as Buchi Babu Naidu. He was considered to be the Father of Madras Cricket. Naidu loved sports, and was actively involved in organizing the sporting scene in Madras. Back in the day, things were different at the Madras Cricket Club. The Indians were made to sit under a tree and have lunch in the shade, while the Europeans enjoyed the luxury of the club. This is where Naidu felt that things needed to change, for sport to reach the masses of India. As a result, he was actively involved in the setting up of the Madras Cricket Club, whose primary focus was to take sport to people in the city.
The Buchi Babu tournament is played since a year after Naidu’s death. Previously, it was considered as a tournament between local sides. However, it got tremendous recognition in the late 1960s after it was converted into an invitational tournament. The TNCA also took charge of the proceedings for the competition.
The state of cricket in Madras was highly controlled by Englishmen until Buchi Babu played a huge role in changing the scenario for Indians. He presented an Indian challenge in front of the Englishmen, which was a great victory for the Indians in Madras. His dream was a match in which the best local talent would take on the Englishmen in MCC. This evolved into the annual Presidency match. This match was first played in 1908, shortly after Naidu’s death. This tournament has a huge value in terms of cricket in Tamil Nadu.
