24 states for National U-19 20-20 Cricket

CHANDIGARH: Twenty four teams from different states and affiliated units have staked their for the top honours in the Twenty-20 National Cricket Tournament for Under-19 being conducted by Chandigarh Twenty-20 Cricket Association (CTCA) under the patronage of the Indian Twenty-20 Cricket Federation (ITCF) from November 12 to 19.

Giving this information here today, CTCA president I D Kamboj said that competitions would be conducted in Chandigarh and Panchkula. The semi-finals and final are likely to be live telecast and negotiations are on with some electronic channels which have expressed their interest in  the hard-hitting, non-stop entertainment. A match lasts just under three hours.

Regarding the confirmation of teams, Kamboj, who is also senior vice-president of the Indian Twenty-20 Cricket Federation (ITCF), said "we have already received confirmation from 24 teams."

Players from Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chattisgarh, Chandigarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Goa, Haryana, Hyderabad, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Mumbai, Punjab, Rajasthan, Saurasthra, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Baroda, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Dadar Nagar Haveli and Vidharbha will be seen in action in the latest format for the shorter version of the game.

Qualified technical officials will be deputed to supervise the matches and maintain scorecards. Kamboj said that an organising committee had been formed for the proper conduct the National Tournament, which will be the first edition under the ITCF belt.

During the eight-day tournament, the ITCF will select 30 probables who are likely to attend a coaching camp here to prepare the young Indian team for the forthcoming international tournaments. Kamboj said that the ITCF would soon decide on the Under-15 and Under-22 Nationals. A number of states have expressed their desire to conduct these tournaments. Decision on the  allotment of the
tournaments would be made in the ITCF meeting.