Jammu, Mar 06: The Indian Veteran Premier League (IVPL) has breathed new life into the cricketing careers of Jammu & Kashmir cricketers as Samiullah Beigh and Omar Alam represented the star-studded Red Carpets Delhi in this league.
Embracing their stint in this prestigious league, both the players experienced a rise in passion and determination and left their mark in the tournament.
Representing former international star Herschelle Gibbs led Red Carpets Delhi, both the players performed well to help their side to make it to the semifinals spot.
Out of the five league matches, Red Carpets Delhi won four and lost one, while in the semifinals they lost to Virender Sehwag led Mumbai Champions in a close contest as Suresh Raina led UP franchisee team emerged champions.
The league provided former star cricketers of J&K to rub shoulders with former international stars to vie for the top honours at the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex, Greater Noida.
Samiullah figured in the list of top ten wicket-takers in the league at number seven spot with 5 wickets in his kitty, while Mpofu of Uttar Pradesh was the leading wicket-taker with 12 wickets. He impressed one and all and won the hearts of cricket lovers by producing a lethal spell with his seam and swing against Chhattisgarh Warriors, taking 4 important wickets by hitting right areas, generating lot of pace and purchasing bounce from the track.
Omar also proved a utility player for his side by contributing in all three departments of the game.
Having taken a retirement in 2018, after playing 61 First Class and 37 List A matches, Samiullah is excited to return to competitive cricket.
“It is sort of a new life because once we retire from FC cricket, we don’t get the same opportunity to push ourselves. Considering the quality of cricket in this league, it is sort of a new life for us. We are getting the opportunity to challenge ourselves again, to play with the legends of the game, to compete with them, and to live our lives again,” said Samiullah Beigh.
Praising the standard of the league, Omar Alam said that it felt great to be part of the tournament, adding that the league has made us believe that age was just a number.
