Hanuma Vihari likely to move from Andhra, play for Madhya Pradesh in 2023/24 Indian domestic season

New Delhi: India batter Hanuma Vihari is likely to move on from Andhra and play for Madhya Pradesh in the upcoming 2023/24 Indian domestic cricket season.

Vihari, who has amassed 839 runs in 16 Tests for India, represented Andhra from 2016/17 to 2020/21 seasons, as well as in the 2022/23 season.

Apart from Vihari, it has also been learnt that Delhi left-arm pacer Kulwant Khejroliya is also likely to move to Madhya Pradesh, who are set to be coached by Chandrakant Pandit for the upcoming domestic season.

Under Pandit’s coaching, Madhya Pradesh won 2021/22 Ranji Trophy after beating Mumbai in the final at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

“We had a selection committee meeting yesterday, which happened at the headquarters in Indore. Yes, they will play for MP if all goes well,” said Abhilash Khandekar, the President of Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA), to IANS.

Asked if the MPCA had received the No Objection Certificates (NOCs) from both players, Khandekar said, “Yes. Process is on. In principle decision taken by MPCA.” IANS has also reached out to Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) and Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) for their responses, which are awaited at the time of publishing.

Vihari began his domestic cricket career with Hyderabad in 2010 and played for the side until the 2015/16 season. He later returned to play for Hyderabad in the 2021/22 season, before moving back to Andhra for the next season.

The right-handed batter last played competitive cricket while turning out for Andhra co-incidentally against Madhya Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy quarter-final at the Holkar Stadium in Indore earlier in January.

Vihari batted left-handed after suffering a forearm fracture to his left arm from an Avesh Khan bouncer, a move which earned him plaudits for his grit and standing up for the team though they lost the match. In 2022/23 Ranji Trophy, Vihari made 490 runs in 14 innings at an average of 35.

Vihari will return to competitive cricket action as captain of the South Zone team in the Duleep Trophy semifinal, to be held in Bengaluru next week.

On the other hand, Khejroliya has picked 32 wickets in 14 matches at an average of 42.28 for Delhi since his first-class debut in 2017. His last competitive cricket outing was with Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2023 against Chennai Super Kings at the Eden Gardens on April 23.

–IANS