Ambati Rayudu, a seasoned cricket player from India, has joined Baroda as a professional player for the next domestic season.
After receiving a no-objection certificate from the Andhra Cricket Association, Rayudu made the decision to join Baroda. The hitter is eligible to play in all formats, although lately he has primarily made himself available for white-ball cricket, and his most recent first-class match was in November 2017.
Apart from a two-year tenure with Baroda from 2012 to 2014, Rayudu, 36, has travelled quite a bit in domestic cricket recently, having played for Hyderabad, Andhra, and Vidarbha. His comeback will help Baroda's batting unit, which is working to persuade Indian all-rounder Deepak Hooda to return as well.
After a disagreement with the team's captain at the time, Krunal Pandya, Hooda quit Baroda in late 2020. After that, he had a productive season with Rajasthan, which led to his selection for India. The cricketer has been a consistent contributor to India's white-ball teams since February of this year. Along with Krunal, he too enjoyed a breakthrough IPL season with the Lucknow Super Giants.
"They get along just as well as they did before, as far as I know.
Their differences have been resolved. Together, they performed admirably on the same IPL team. They have resolved all of their problems "According to ESPNcricinfo, Baroda Cricket Association (BCA) Chief Executive Shishir Hattangadi.
"Although we are optimistic about Hooda's return, we can't tell for sure because, in terms of cricket, it was Rajasthan who welcomed him when he needed a team. We're making an attempt from our end. We'll need to wait for a decision "Added he.
After three seasons as the Bengal senior men's team's head coach, Arun Lal has resigned. He identified the "taxing" nature of the work as the main justification for leaving.
"It's a difficult job. Nine months, around-the-clock, and almost seven months travelling. I so decided to stop before getting ejected "Lal laughed as he remarked.
"Bengal has been doing well and is headed in the right direction," he added.
Although the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) has given the 66-year-old Lal complete backing during his tenure, there have been rumours about his "old-school ways" on occasion among the players. However, under his leadership, Bengal grew into a powerful force.
Before the 2018–19 season, Lal joined the squad as a mentor. The next season, he took over as head coach. Lal won the Ranji Trophy with Bengal in the 1989–90 season and thrice with Delhi before that.
Under his leadership, Bengal finished second to Saurashtra in the 2019–20 Ranji Trophy and advanced to this year's semifinals, where they were defeated by eventual champion Madhya Pradesh.
"The competition is becoming very fierce. The last year's champions were not invited to this year's semifinals. The winners this year did not advance to the semifinals the previous year. In both seasons, only Bengal advanced to the semifinals. They are therefore in a good spot "said he.
"Bengal gave a tremendous performance, and I had a great time watching it. I'll miss it, too. It's a lot of work. But I have other hobbies outside cricket, so I need to give myself some time. The only thing we lack is a trophy, but I have no doubt that we will soon get one " he added.
After Lal's resignation, the CAB is yet to make an announcement on their next head coach. Saurasish Lahiri, the former Bengal off-spinner, is currently assistant coach, while Joydeep Mukherjee is the director of cricket.