Saurashtra Cricket Association hails Niranjan Shah's efforts for bringing IPL to Rajkot

Intex won the bid for Rajkot-based IPL team.

Rajkot

: Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) has hailed efforts made by its honourary secretary Niranjan Shah for bringing Indian Premier League matches to Rajkot.

"Indeed proud moment for all cricket lovers of Saurashtra region that Rajkot now has a team in IPL," Himanshu Shah, SCA media manager said.

"Cricket lovers of this region so far enjoyed IPL on TV but now they will have exciting moments of watching live matches in Rajkot," Shah said.

"From staging an Irani Cup match in the early eighties to getting IPL matches, the SCA has come a long way becoming a centre to host ODI," he said recalling the BCCI's recent decision to make SCA stadium Khandheri a Test and IPL centre.

He further said because of one man's (Niranjan Shah) vision and perseverance has put Rajkot on the global map.

The SCA has so far hosted 14 ODIs and one T20 match at Madhavrao Scindia cricket ground and at SCA stadium Khandheri. The last ODI between India and South Africa was played on October 18 under tremendous pressure, as Patel Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) leader Hardik Patel had threatened to stage protest during the match.

Hardik was arrested by the Rajkot rural police, when he was going to stadium and the match was played without any interruption.

On Tuesday, the Sanjeev Goenka-owned New Rising consortium and mobile phone manufacturer Intex joined the high-profile IPL bandwagon as Pune and Rajkot became the two new franchises, replacing the suspended Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals for a period of two years.