State senior men's cricket team return to heroes welcome after Ranji Trophy heroics

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Jan 31 : Manipur Senior men's cricket team who finished Plate Group runners up in Ranji Trophy 2022-23 were accorded a warm reception by Manipur Cricket Association today on their arrival at Imphal International Airport this afternoon.
A team of Manipur Cricket Association led by president RK Imo, well wishers and families of the State team joined in welcoming the State players as soon as they came out of the airport.
 MNCA president RK Imo, who is also the MLA of the Sagolband AC, congratulated each of the players and the support staff  and feted them with shawls.
Notably, Manipur team had an illustrious campaign in Ranji Trophy plate group this season and created history by earning an "Elite" berth in the First Class Tournament by making it to the group final with Bihar.
In the round robin league stage, the State team who debuted Ranji Trophy in the 2018-19 season, posted three wins, drew once and lost one to finish fourth this season and qualify for plate group semi-final.
After starting the season with an 8-wicket loss to Sikkim despite prolific performance from Jotin Pheiroijam, Manipur drew Bihar in the second match with an all round performance before defeating Arunachal Pradesh by 8 wickets; Mizoram by an innings and 36 runs and overwhelming Meghalaya by 8 wickets for three straight wins.
In the semi-final play-off, Manipur avenged  their league round defeat to Sikkim with a two wicket victory to seal the final berth and qualified for "Elite" for next domestic season.
In the final (Plate Group) Manipur suffered by 220 runs to hosts Bihar at Moin Ul Haq Stadium in Patna.
With the Manipur team qualifying for "Elite group" earlier, elated MNCA president RK Imo had announced a cash reward of Rs 15 lakh for the team on behalf of the association (MNCA).