Mysuru: City based Jai Hind Cricket Club (JHCC) will be conducting a State Level T20 Cricket Tournament in memory of its Founder M.N. Bhagath Simha from Mar. 6 to 9 at SDNR Wadiyar Stadium and JSS-SJCE Grounds.

Three Clubs from Mysuru (Jai Hind Cricket Club, JoJo Cricket Club and Navodaya Cricket Club) and five Clubs from Bengaluru (Swastik Union Cricket Club, Vijaya Cricket Club, Rajajinagar Cricketers, Cambridge Cricket Club and Bangalore Occasionals) will be taking part in the tournament.

The tournament will feature players such as R. Smaran, Vidyadhar Patil, Kranthi Kumar, M.G. Naveen, M.B. Darshan, Gowtham Sagar, L.R. Kumar, Lochan Appanna, Prakhar Chaturvedi, Shubhang Hegde, Dheeraj Gowda, S.U. Karthik, Vishal Onat, Sujay Sateri, Rohan Patil, Nihal Ullal, S. Ishaan, Samit Dravid, Kruthik Krishna, B.M. Shreyas among others who have represented Karnataka in Ranji Trophy, State U25, U23 and U19 teams, Maharaja Trophy and also University Cricket Teams.

The organisers have ensured that two players from mofussil regions, comprising of KSCA Six Zones (Mysuru, Mangaluru, Tumakuru, Dharwad, Raichur and Shivamogga), are part of playing XI of every team. The tournament will be played in coloured attire and white ball. The winners of the tournament will walk away with a prize money of Rs. 1.5 lakh while the runner-up team will be awarded Rs. 1 lakh. This apart, the Best Batsman, Best Bowler and Best All-Rounder of the tournament will be awarded with a prize money of Rs. 10,000 each and the Player of the Match will receive Rs. 2,000 cash reward.

About M.N. Bhagath Simha

M.N. Bhagath Simha, a Founding-Member and the first Captain of Jai Hind Cricket Club (JHCC), served as its Secretary from 1964 until his passing in 2018 at the age of 79.

Under his leadership, JHCC became one of the State’s premier cricket clubs, winning numerous trophies and becoming the first private club in Karnataka to rise from 5th division to the 1st division. He was also                             President of the Mysore Underwriters Sports Club.

A qualified cricket umpire since 1960, Bhagath Simha was the first mofussil umpire to officiate in major tournaments and played an instrumental role in establishing the Cricket Umpires Guild in Mysuru serving as its Secretary (1989-1996) and President (1996-2005). He also served on the KSCA Mysuru Zonal Committee in various roles, including selector and Chairman of the Tournament Committee.

His contributions to cricket extended beyond umpiring and administration. He guided numerous players to higher levels. He was recognised for his contributions to cricket with several accolades from organisations like Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) during the inauguration of its Platinum Jubilee celebrations, National Cricket Club, Association of Cricket Umpires of Karnataka (ACUK) and Basavanagudi Cricket Academy.

Bhagath Simha remained dedicated to the game and provided valuable input to the Mysuru Zone Committee till his very end.