Sikkim: Sonam Palden Bhutia Has Been Named Head Coach of the NE Team for Duleep Trophy

GANGTOK: Sonam Palden Bhutia and three Sikkim cricketers have been named to the NE Zone team. According to an official notification issued on June 9, Sikkim coach Sonam Palden Bhutia has been selected as head coach of the Northeast Zone team for the Duleep Trophy.

Sonam Palden, a Level B licenced coach, is one of the most experienced Northeast coaches in the domestic circuit, having coached the senior men's side of Sikkim in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy, and Ranji Trophy.

The Northeast zonal selection committee, chaired by zonal coordinator Naba Bhattacharjee, met in Guwahati on June 4 to choose the 15-member team, and Nilesh Lamichaney of Sikkim was selected vice-captain.

Sonam Palden Bhutia of Sikkim will be the coach, Th. Kamlesh of Manipur will be the physio, and Vikash S. Chauhan of Meghalaya will be the trainer. Dister Marbaniang has been appointed manager, and the BCCI has been asked to recommend a performance analyst and masseuse.

In the forthcoming competition, Nagaland cricketer R. Jonathan will lead the team, with Nilesh Lamichaney serving as his deputy.

Manipur Cricket Association has named five players, Nagaland Cricket Association has named three, Meghalaya Cricket Association has named two, Sikkim Cricket Association has named two, and Arunachal Pradesh Cricket Association and Mizoram Cricket Association have each named one.

Coach Sonam Palden, along with players Nilesh, Palzor, and Lee Yong, will go to Dimapur, Nagaland on Sunday to attend the Duleep Trophy preparation camp.

From June 12 to June 23, the camp will be held at the Nagaland Cricket Association Ground in Sovima.

On June 28, the Duleep Trophy, a six-team inter-zonal first-class competition, will kick off India's domestic season.

A crucial decision of the selection was to place emphasis on local players from all member countries that played well last season in order to promote and provide them opportunities in the national arena as well as exposure to play against the country's top players. Local resources were also used to choose support employees such as Coach.

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