Guwahati, July 22 (IANS) Former fast bowler Abu Nechim has hailed the Assam Premier League (APL) as a vital launchpad for the state’s emerging cricketers, adding that the newly launched franchise T20 tournament in the state will provide much-needed visibility to undiscovered local talent.
“The Assam Premier League is very important, it is a genuinely good platform for our juniors. We had over 270 players in the auction, and I had knowledge of only about 120 of them. That tells you the sheer depth of undiscovered talent across Assam. The league gives every one of those players a stage to be seen,” Nechim said in a statement issued by the tournament on Wednesday.
Nechim played for India in the 2006 U19 World Cup and apart from playing domestic cricket for Assam, he had stints with Mumbai Indians (2010–2013) and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (2014–2016) in the IPL.
Drawing parallels from his own journey in top-flight cricket as well as the rise of Rajasthan Royals captain and India’s batting all-rounder Riyan Parag, Nechim, who is a part of Guwahati Royals’ set-up, highlighted that the tournament bridges the gap between state-level cricket and elite platforms.
“Every player and every franchise has the same aim, to win the tournament. But imagine if players from the APL franchises go on to play the IPL, or even for India, next year. That is the real opportunity this league offers, and it will serve Assam cricket for years to come,” he added.
Organised under the aegis of the Assam Cricket Association (ACA) with the official motto ‘Aamar Axom, Aamar Gourab’ (Our Assam, Our Pride), the APL features eight franchise teams from across the state. The matches of the inaugural edition of the tournament will be shown live on Star Sports and streamed on JioHotstar.
–IANS
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