Punjab’s Bhatinda, known for the famous Rose garden and its cement industry, is now all set to make its mark in cricket as a local boy is now representing Mumbai Indians (MI) in the ongoing Indian Premier League season 11.
The 20-year-old leg spinner—Mayank Markande—was bought by MI for Rs 20 lakh in the IPL players’ auction held in Bengaluru early in January.
In his debut IPL game against Chennai Super Kings, the leggie returned with figures of 3/23 from four overs. He claimed wickets of MS Dhoni, Ambati Rayudu and Deepak Chahar.
His Stats
His List A stats are really impressive. He picked up 10 wickets in 6 LA matches he played so far. Markande was a part of India’s Under-19 squad in 2016 and is a member of Punjab’s Ranji Trophy and T20 squads.
Cricket Stadium & Bhatinda
Bathinda made into the headlines in 2007 when the then Chief Minister of Punjab Prakash Singh Badal proposed an international cricket stadium inside the city. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) also gave its permission to build a stadium.
Describing the stadium as a gift to the people of Bathinda, Badal had said the international stadium will come up by 2009. However, it never took off.
Bhatinda District Cricket Association
BDCA is very much active and they keep organising trials under various categories. They keep posted on their Facebook page about the trails so that more and more budding cricketers from the city can take a part.
Cricket Academies
R.V. Sports Academy is the leading search result on Google. Located at Pukhraj Colony, the academy has 4.9 stars.
