Three Sreenidhi University TG20 Players Earn Call-Ups for BCCI Emerging Men's Tournament

Three players from the Hyderabad Cricket Association's Sreenidhi University TG20 have earned selection for the BCCI's Emerging Men's Tournament, a red-ball domestic competition running from July 4 to July 26 at the Board's Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.

Himateja Kodimela, Avanish Rao and B Punnaiah have been picked for the tournament, which brings together four teams in four-day matches as the BCCI looks to identify young talent capable of progressing to Test cricket. It marks the first set of national call-ups to emerge from Sreenidhi University TG20's inaugural season.

Himateja Kodimela (Anvita Khammam Aces)

Kodimela was the standout batter of TG20's league stage, finishing with 430 runs at an average of 107.50, including a century against Medak Falcons, while also scoring four half-centuries. He displayed his match-winning potential on multiple occasions in the tournament, including an unbeaten 80 against Anurag Nalgonda Knights in a must-win contest.

The 24-year-old southpaw also captained the Anvita Khammam Aces on a couple of occasions, in the absence of CV Milind. He will be the skipper of "Team D" at the Emerging Players tournament. Himateja has been one of the standout players of the tournament, with his team mentor, former Sri Lankan international cricketer Tillakaratne Dilshan, labelling him as one of the players to watch out for.

Avanish Rao (Ranga Reddy Risers)

Avanish has been one of the most consistent performers for his side in the tournament. With two half-centuries to his name, the 21-year-old opener was responsible for laying the platform for the Risers' batting department.

His highest score of 53 came against Hyderabad E-Champions, the only team unbeaten throughout the league stage. With an average of 27.67 at a strike rate of 180.43, Avanish lit up the Sreenidhi University TG20 with his effortless and elegant strokeplay.

Bhuvanagiri Punnaiah (Ranga Reddy Risers)

Punnaiah bagged six wickets in the three games he played in the tournament before unfortunately getting injured. The 22-year-old right-arm fast bowler was consistently delivering the goods for his side before he was ruled out.

He was impressive with his new-ball exploits, extracting movement off the deck, and also shouldered the responsibility of bowling the death overs for the Risers. With an economy rate of 8.42 throughout the tournament, he was one of the standout bowlers of the competition.

(Inputs from Press Release)