Murali Vijay to feature in county cricket for Essex
Mumbai, Sep 8 : After being axed from the Indian squad for the last two Tests against England, opener Murali Vijay has signed up with Essex County Cricket Club to represent them in the remainder of the 2018 County Championship.
The BCCI announced the development on Saturday which was also confirmed by the Essex club's official website.
Vijay, who featured in the first two Tests of the five-match India-England Test series, will be returning to the county ground where he scored 53 in the first innings of India's practice game against Essex.
"I was here with the India side about a month ago and saw first-hand just how good the crowd is. I can't wait to play for Essex and hopefully win some matches," Vijay said in a statement.
Expressing pleasure on the joining of the Indian opener, Essex head coach Anthony McGrath said: "We're delighted that Vijay has chosen to come here. He's a great batsman who can score runs at the top of the order."
"Vijay's run-scoring ability means he can be the difference-maker in a game, and that skill is something we were looking to bring in towards the end of the season and something that we're excited about," he added.
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RCB to play five IPL 2026 home matches in Bengaluru, two in Raipur
Bengaluru (PTI): Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru will play five of their home matches at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium here and the remaining two fixtures at Raipur's Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in the upcoming IPL, the franchise said on Tuesday.
The announcement ended doubts about whether the IPL 2025 winners would be able to play at their home ground, the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, following the stampede that killed 11 fans after RCB's maiden title win.
Since that tragic indecent, the venue has not hosted any major domestic matches including the Ranji Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy or even the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20.
"This significant development comes after months of hard work and close coordination across all concerned authorities with a common goal of bringing the games back to home ground for the fans," RCB said in a release.
"RCB extends its sincere gratitude to the Government of Karnataka, the Karnataka State Cricket Association and the Karnataka Police for their unwavering guidance, cooperation and support in facilitating the hosting of matches in Bengaluru."
"The collective efforts to ramp up infrastructure and safety measures in time for the IPL season have ensured that the defending champions will play the majority of their home games in their home ground," the franchise added.
The franchise said that the two "home matches" in Raipur will be as "per prior commitment."
RCB CEO Rajesh Menon said the fans deserve to watch their team compete at home.
"The M. Chinnaswamy Stadium is more than just our home ground it is where our identity as a team truly comes alive," he said.
"The energy our fans bring to Bengaluru has always been a driving force for our players, inspiring them through every phase of the game. Our fans have stood by us unconditionally, and they deserve the opportunity to watch their team compete at home."
"After detailed discussions and completing the necessary due process around permissions, we are pleased to confirm that RCB will play five matches in Bengaluru. We sincerely thank the Government of Karnataka, the KSCA, and the Karnataka Police for their support in making this possible," Menon added.
