26th All India Postal Cricket Tournament inaugurated at Bhubaneswar

          The 26^th All India Postal Cricket Tournament has been inaugurated today at Railway Stadium, Bhubaneswar. Shri Praveen Gupta, Chief General Manager, SBI, Bhubaneswar Circle and Dr. Achyuta Samanta, Founder, KIIT University graced the occasion as Chief Guest and Guest of Honour respectively in the presence of Shri S.K. Chakrabarti, Chairman, All India Postal Cricket Tournament–cum- Chief Postmaster General, Odisha Circle, Bhubaneswar, Shri Suvendu Ku. Swain, DPS(HQ), Bhubaneswar and Shri S.P. Rajalingam, PMG, Berhampur. 

            On the occasion, a press note has been released as follows:

PRESS NOTE

While Cricket provides the excitement of competition, it also provides physical, mental and social benefits. Cricket is the most favorite game of Indians.  This is our great pleasure to inform that Odisha Postal Circle Sports Board, Bhubaneswar is organizing the 26^th All India Postal Cricket Tournament. Odisha Postal Circle will be hosting the tournament for the first time. The tournament will start on 14^th February, 2013 and will end on 18^th February, 2013. Fifteen Postal Circles including Odisha Postal Circle will participate in the tournament.

The tournament will be held on league cum knock out basis. In the league stage, the matches will be of 20 overs per side and the semifinal and final matches will be of 40 overs per side. In the league stage, there will be only one mandatory power play for the first six overs, during which only two fielders will be allowed outside the 30 yard circle. In semifinal and final matches, there will be one fielding power play for the first eight overs and one batting power play of four overs which is to be taken before 33^rd over of the match. During the fielding & batting power play only three fielders will be allowed outside the 30 yard circle.

The matches in the league stage will be held at (1) Railway Stadium, Bhubaneswar, (2) IDCO Ground, Bhubaneswar, (3) Ravenshaw Ground No.1, Cuttack, (4) Ravenshaw Ground No.2, Cuttack and (5) Neempur Ground, Cuttack. The semifinal matches will be held at Railway Stadium, Bhubneswar and IDCO Ground, Bhubaneswar on 17.02.2013 and will start at 9:00AM. The final match will be held at Barbati Stadium, Cuttack on 18.02.2013. The final will be a day & night match and will start at 01:30 PM.

India Post cricket team will be selected based on the performance of the players in this tournament. The India Post Cup is scheduled to be played in April at Vadodara.

The inaugural ceremony will be held at Railway Stadium, Bhubneswar on 14.02.2013 at 08:30AM. Shri Praveen Gupta, Chief General Manager, SBI, Bhubaneswar Circle will be the Chief Guest and Dr. Achyuta Samanta, Founder, KIIT University will be the Guest of Honour in the inauguration ceremony. 

The closing ceremony will be held at Barbati Stadium, Cuttack on 18.02.2013 at 07:30PM. Shri N.K. Bhoi, Chief General Manager, BSNL, Odisha Circle will be the Chief Guest and Shri Asirbad Behera, Secretary, Odisha Cricket Association will be the Guest of Honour in the closing ceremony. 

Shri S.K. Chakrabarti,

Chairman, All India Postal Cricket Tournament

–cum- Chief Postmaster General,

Odisha Circle, Bhubaneswar-751001

Teams participating in the 26^th All India Postal Cricket Tournament organized by the Odisha Circle Postal Sports Board are as follows:-

Group-A

Group-B

Group-C

Group-D

UP

Gujarat

Rajasthan

Assam

Odisha

Tamilnadu

APS

West Bengal

Chhatisgarh

Andhra Pradesh

J & K

Keral

Bihar

Himachal Pradesh

Delhi