Local cricketers head for overseas clubs in off season

Bhopal: Cricketers in Bhopal are not just eyeing to play Indian Premier League (IPL) or domestic cricket, but are even going beyond boundaries to represent overseas cricket clubs, besides utilizing the off season during which cricket is not played in the city. Mostly from May to August, cricket activities do not take place in Bhopal. During this period, several local cricketers who are keen to keep playing the game prefer to go abroad and play for overseas clubs, with handsome returns of Rs 4-5 lakh per month.MP Ranji team player, Himashu Mantri, has already registered to play for an overseas club in England. “My priority is to play the domestic season in India , but when cricket is not available during monsoon season, I prefer to continue playing at overseas clubs. It helps players to acclimatize with the environment abroad, besides earning precious money. I think this is good for any cricketer.”Another cricketer Ankit Sharma, who has registered with an overseas cricket club, took 6 wickets in a match played on Saturday. Another cricketer Yash Dubey is set to represent Furnace Cricket Club. Many other cricketers like Rahul Batham, Amber Hasan, Mohd Zaid are also planning to represent clubs in other countries.Cricket expert Faisal Meer said that gone are the days when cricketers were fixated to just domestic cricket and IPL. “Earlier too, cricketers used to play for counties in England, but the number was insignificant. Now, local cricketers are in big demand overseas. Many players are regularly representing overseas clubs and earning money,” he said.He said that cricketers are going to places like USA in big numbers. “Cricket is evolving in countries like the US. There is a big demand for Indian players in such countries due to their high competency. Soon, several cricketers from Bhopal and Madhya Pradesh would be seen playing in overseas clubs and utillising the break time to earn money,” Meer said.