Happy that cricket is happening in Mumbai, will work for betterment, says MCA President Naik

Mumbai, March 26 (IANS) Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) President Ajinkya Naik said the organisation was content to host matches in the city despite Wankhede Stadium not being allocated an India–Australia Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test in 2027.

The BCCI had earlier announced that Nagpur, Chennai, Guwahati, Ranchi and Ahmedabad will host the five Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2027. It meant that Mumbai’s wait to host an India-Australia Test after 2004 continues.

“All matches are important - whether it is a Ranji Trophy game, an international game, an IPL game or a club game, all matches are the same for us. We are happy that cricket is happening in Mumbai. So we will work for the betterment of the game, and that's it.”

“So whatever our parent association gives us, we make sure that we follow whatever the SOPs are there and we implement that. Whatever they instruct us, we make sure that we implement it,” Naik told reporters on the sidelines of a felicitation event of MCA at the Khar Gymkhana on Thursday.

Mumbai will get to host the third India-Zimbabwe men’s ODI on January 9, 2027 and asked specifically about not getting a marquee Test, Naik said decisions like that are outside his remit.

“I can speak on MCA. Whatever decision we have to take as the Apex Council, we make sure we do it in MCA. Related to BCCI, you have to ask the BCCI office where an Apex Council member is. I can't answer that.

Reflecting on the overall progress of Mumbai’s teams across all formats and genders, as it got the best association award for the third straight year in the recent BCCI awards, Naik credited collective effort.

“Whatever I did was just because of all the members present here at the club, including the secretary. Success is not of one person; it is always teamwork, and all here present are the main contributors to the success of MCA, Dilip sir and Diana madam. They all started the journey a few years back, and now all the youngsters are playing for Mumbai.”

--IANS

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