MUMBAI: Former India cricketer Pravin Amre emphasised on Friday the importance of tournaments like the Times Cricket Shield for helping cricketers secure stable jobs to support their families.
Speaking at the 93rd annual prize distribution ceremony for the tournament, Amre highlighted the value of corporate participation in the Times Shield across six divisions, noting the substantial support it offers players.
“My guru (Ramakant) Achrekar always told me that one job can take care of a cricketer’s family. That became true for me—my first salary with Railways, then with Air India, was `5,000, which made a big difference as I could support my family. Even though I’ve been involved in the IPL for 15 years, I still believe that jobs for cricketers are essential, as they secure a family’s well-being. I played (for India) for just three years, but thanks to my Air India job, I am what I am today—independent and able to make my own decisions,” said Amre.
Held at the MCA Lounge at Wankhede Stadium, this year’s event was supported by TATA Power SOLAROOF, with beverages from John Distilleries Pvt Ltd and celebration partnership by United Breweries Limited.
Amre, whose career includes roles as a player, captain, coach, and administrator, shared that the Times Shield holds a special place in Mumbai cricket. “Mumbai has won the Ranji 42 times, and the Times Shield has played an invaluable role in shaping careers. I started with Central Railway in the C Division, then Vasoo Paranjape offered me the Air India captaincy, allowing me to build a team that competed in A Division for 32 years,” he said. The dignitaries, including Amre, were looking forward to the 100th year of the competition.
MCA to cover expenses
During the ceremony, Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) vice-president Sanjay Naik announced that going forward, the MCA will cover all expenses related to local tournaments. “All MCA affiliated clubs will no longer need to cover costs for umpires, scorers, grounds, and balls. MCA will manage these expenses. We have set aside a Rs3 crore fixed deposit, and the interest generated will be distributed as a corpus to affiliated office clubs,” Naik said.
LIST OF WINNERS:
- Div A: Winner: Jain Irrigation, Runners-up: Mumbai Customs; Best Batsman: Suved Parkar (Jain Irrigation); Best Bowler: Dhrumil Matkar (Mumbai Customs); Fast scoring team: DY Patil ‘A’
- Div B: Winner: Bharat Petroleum; Runners-up: CGST & CEX, Mumbai Zone. Best batsman: Shreeraj Gharat (Mumbai Port Trust ‘A’); Best bowler: Shreyas Gurav (DTDC Express), Fast scoring team: Bharat Petroleum
- Div C: Winner: Cipla SC, Runners-up: Reliance Group SC, Best batsman: Mayursh Tandel (Reliance), Best bowler: Bhavinkumar Darji (Cipla SC), Fast scoring team: Automotive CC
- Div D: Winner: Tata Power, Runners-up: Chowgule SC, Best batsman: Praful Waghela (Tata Power), Best bowler: Farhan Shaikh (Chowgule SC), Fast scoring team: Datamatics
- Div E: Joint winners: ICICI Bank & United Patni Industries, Best batsman: Princely Pereira (Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital), Best Bowler: Sandeep Yadav (Vihaang Enterprises), Fast scoring team: Kokilaben Hospital
- Div F: Winner: MCA Staff, Runners-up: Satellite Developers, Best batsman: Vishal Dixit (Zee Entertainment), Best bowler: Harshit Jain (Dream SC), Fast scoring team: MCA Staff
- Qualifier: Winner: NB Equipments & Engineering, Runners-up: Beenet Communication
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