Dempo chase rare hat-trick of GPL titles

Panaji: Dempo Cricket Club will be determined to grab a rare hat-trick of titles in the Goa Professional League (GPL) T20 cricket tournament that kick starts on Sunday at the Academy ground in Porvorim but they will have to deal with possibly the toughest challenge this season.
Dempo broke the bank to retain captain Sagun Kamat for Rs 4 lakh and have, amongst others, the likes of Reagan Pinto, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Sandeep Sharma and Ashok Menaria.But, unlike in the past, they cannot take anything for granted.
Lying in wait will be the likes of Sarvodaya Royals, who after two failed attempts in the final, will be hoping to turn the corner.
“I think there is hardly anything that separates all the eight participating franchisees. The teams are evenly balanced,” said Sarvodaya Royals owner Vilas Desai, whose team has made it to two finals in the past.
Desai has spent heavily on his teams in the past, importing some famous players like Varun Sood, Avinash Yadav and Sudeep Tyagi. But, he himself admits, there is no sure-shot formula.
“Some established Ranji Trophy players have not been able to win matches on their own here. A combination of factors are needed to become champions,” said Desai, who, this time, has imported former India batsman Manoj Tiwary and bowler Ashok Dinda to give his team a champions edge. Dinda, if anyone needs reminding, represented India in T20 against Sri Lanka and his maiden international wicket was that of Sanath Jayasuriya.
The GPL will have three new participating franchisees. While Delhi based franchise Sun Estates Warriors will have several known names and Shadab Jakati leading the charge, Jain Sports Academy (Jalgaon) will provide an equally formidable challenge.
Most of the buzz before the tournament has revolved around Caculo Goans. The newcomers have evoked plenty of interest with the signing of outstation players like Piyush Chawla, Rishi Dhawan and Sachin Baby, all of whom have plenty of experience playing in the Indian Premier League T20. Then there is Goa’s very own Swapnil Asnodkar, who has given enough proof in the past that he can win a match, on his day, on his own.
Today’s Match
6:30pm: Caculo Goans Sarvodaya Royals