MUMBAI: The Mumbai Cricket Association’s Cricket Improvement Committee, headed by former India opener Lalchand Rajput, at a meeting on Tuesday appointed ex-India pacer Raju Kulkarni as the new chief selector of the Mumbai senior & under-23 teams. Kulkarni, who played 3 Tests and 10 ODIs in which he picked 15 wickets in the 80s, has been the chairman and member of the CIC in the past.
Besides Kulkarni, the other members of the senior selection committee are Sanjay Patil, Ravi Thakkar, Jeetendra Thakeray and Kiran Powar, who has been an Apex Council member as an ICA representative previously.
“At the Ranji Trophy level, we wanted a senior former India cricketer at the helm in the selection committee. Raju has led Mumbai too. So, his presence will add statute to the committee. His knowledge and experience will definitely benefit the panel,” Rajput told TOI. “I’m grateful to the MCA for appointing me as chairman of the senior and Under-23 selection committee and placing their trust in me. I am fully committed to serving the MCA to the best of my abilities,” Kulkarni told TOI.
Thakkar is the only member of last season’s selection committee who has been retained. Ex-India pacer Salil Ankola, who is now a national selector, was the chief selector last season, before Sunil More took over as interim chief selector later. The CIC, which is headed by former India opener Lalchand Rajput, and includes Sahil Kukreja and Preeti Dimri as its members. will appoint the new coach of the Mumbai senior team, and coaches of other age group teams, after interviewing the candidates on Wednesday at the MCA's facility in BKC. Seven candidates- Vinayak Samant, Sameer Dighe, Vinayak Mane, Atul Ranade, Omkar Salvi, Umesh Patwal and Pradeep Sundaram have applied for the post of Mumbai senior team’s head coach.
The list of selection committees:
Men’s
Raju Kulkarni (Chairman), Sanjay Patil, Ravi Thaker, Jeetendra Thakeray, Kiran Powar.
Under-19: Mandar Phadke(chairman), Bhavin Thaker, Jayprakash Jadhav, Vikrant Yeligatti, Piyush Soneji.
Under-16: Deepak Jadhav (chairman), Umesh Gothkindkar, Prashant Sawant, Girish Patki, Amol Bhalekar.
Under-14: Ravi Kulkarni (chairman), Bravish Shetty, Rohan Raje, Onkar Khanvilkar, Azim Khan.
Women’s
Senior: Laya Francis (Chairperson), Seema Pujare, Shraddha Chavan, Kalpana Cardoso, Sheetal Sakru.
Women’s Under-19: Sunita Singh (chairperson), Sangeeta Kamat, Nirmala Sahi, Kalpana Murkar, Aparna Chavan.
Girls Under-15: Manish More (chairman), Ashish Mahadeshwar, Swati Patil, Nancy Daruwala, Nilima Patil.
