The Pondicherry cricket team (also Puducherry cricket team) is a cricket team that represents the union territory of Puducherry in Indian domestic competitions.[1] In July 2018, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) named the team as one of the nine new sides that would compete in domestic tournaments for the 2018–19 season, including the Ranji Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy.[2][3][4]
 | |
| Personnel | |
|---|---|
| Captain | Neyan Kangayan |
| Coach | Dishant Yagnik |
| Owner | Cricket Association of Pondicherry |
| Team information | |
| Founded | 2018 |
| Home ground | Cricket Association Pondicherry Siechem Ground |
| History | |
| First-class debut | Meghalaya in 2018 at Cricket Association Pondicherry Siechem Ground, Puducherry |
| Ranji Trophy wins | 0 |
| Vijay Hazare Trophy wins | 0 |
| Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy wins | 0 |
| Official website | CAP |
In August 2018, Abhishek Nayar, who previously played for Mumbai, decided to join the team.[5] In September 2018, they won their opening fixture of the 2018–19 Vijay Hazare Trophy, beating Manipur by 8 wickets.[6][7] However, the next day, the BCCI revoked the team's allowance around players from outside the state the team is located in, after concerns were raised that no local cricketers had played in the match.[8] Eight players were found to be outside the BCCI's eligibility criteria.[9]
In their first season in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, they finished in third place in the Plate Group, with five wins and two defeats from their eight matches. The other two matches finished as no results.[10] Paras Dogra finished as the leading run-scorer, with 257 runs, and Fabid Ahmed was the leading wicket-taker for the team, with eleven dismissals.[11]
In November 2018, they played in their first match in the Ranji Trophy, against Meghalaya, in the 2018–19 tournament.[12] In their opening match in the tournament, Paras Dogra became the first batsman for Pondicherry to score a century in the Ranji Trophy.[13] The match was affected by rain and finished in a draw.[14] They finished the 2018–19 tournament third in the table, with four wins from their eight matches.[15]
In March 2019, Pondicherry finished seventh in Group E of the 2018–19 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, with one win from their seven matches.[16] Paras Dogra was the leading run-scorer for the team in the tournament, with 255 runs, and Parandaman Thamaraikannan was the leading wicket-taker, with seven dismissals.[17]
Famous Players
editIndia Capped players from other states who played for Pondicherry, along with year:
- Pankaj Singh (2018-2021)
- Abhishek Nayar (2018)
- Vinay Kumar (2019-2020)
- Jayant Yadav (2025-present)
Squad
edit| Name | Birth date | Batting style | Bowling style | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batsmen | ||||
| Neyan Kangayan | 17 May 2003 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | Captain |
| Paras Rathnaparkhe | 7 May 1998 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | |
| Anand Bais | 18 July 1991 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | |
| Mohit Kale | 27 November 1996 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | |
| Jashwanth Shreeram | 17 November 2004 | Right-handed | ||
| Vikneshwaran Marimuthu | 30 August 1992 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| Parameeswaran Sivaraman | 21 February 2000 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| Vedant Bhardwaj | 26 September 1998 | Right-handed | ||
| Aditya Garhwal | 15 April 1996 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | |
| All-rounders | ||||
| Aman Hakim Khan | 23 November 1996 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | Plays for Chennai Super Kings in IPL |
| Jayant Yadav | 22 January 1990 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | Plays for Gujarat Titans in IPL |
| Puneet Datey | 10 September 1994 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| Pugazhendi Akash | 28 November 2003 | Left-handed | Right-arm off break | |
| Wicket-keepers | ||||
| Ajay Rohera | 4 June 1997 | Right-handed | ||
| Siddhant Addhatrao | 17 April 1992 | Right-handed | ||
| Bhanu Anand | 4 November 1998 | Right-handed | ||
| Spin bowlers | ||||
| Sagar Udeshi | 14 October 1986 | Left-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | |
| Sidak Singh | 17 May 1999 | Left-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | |
| Pace bowlers | ||||
| Gaurav Yadav | 31 October 1991 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| Parth Vaghani | 30 November 1994 | Right-handed | Left-arm medium | |
| Abin Mathew | 5 November 1997 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| Adil Ayub Tunda | 10 July 2002 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| Vijai Raja | 11 January 1999 | Left-handed | Left-arm medium | |
Updated as on 1 February 2026
Coaching staff
edit- Head coach - Dishant Yagnik
- Bowling coach - Shaun Tait
- Manager and strength and conditioning coach - Kalpendra Jha
Famous players
editReferences
edit- ↑ "A Well-Deserved Opportunity For Northeastern States, Bihar, Puducherry". Outlook India. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
- ↑ "Nine new teams in Ranji Trophy 2018–19". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
- ↑ "Logistical nightmare on cards as BCCI announces 37-team Ranji Trophy for 2018–19 season". Indian Express. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
- ↑ "BCCI to host over 2000 matches in the upcoming 2018–19 domestic season". BCCI. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
- ↑ "Abhishek Nayar moves to Pondicherry in search of special 100". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
- ↑ "Vijay Hazare Trophy: Bihar make winning return to domestic cricket". Times of India. 19 September 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
- ↑ "Plate, Vijay Hazare Trophy at Vadodara, Sep 19 2018". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
- ↑ "BCCI revokes eligibility 'allowance' to Puducherry". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
- ↑ "BCCI cancels registration of 8 Puducherry players for flouting eligibility criteria". Cricket Country. 20 September 2018. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
- ↑ "2018–19 Vijay Hazare Trophy Table". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
- ↑ "Vijay Hazare Trophy, 2018/19 – Puducherry: Batting and bowling averages". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
- ↑ "Historic moment awaits Nayar as Puducherry makes Ranji Trophy debut". Sport Star Live. 11 November 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
- ↑ "Ranji Highlights: Jadeja shines, Yusuf tumbles on 99". CricBuzz. 12 November 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
- ↑ "Ranji Trophy Round-up: Sheldon Jackson, Ravindra Jadeja star in Saurashtra's win, Puducherry get three points". The Indian Express. 15 November 2018. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
- ↑ "Ranji Trophy Table – 2018–19". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- ↑ "Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019: Points Table". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
- ↑ "Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, 2018/19 – Puducherry: Batting and bowling averages". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 2 March 2019.