Gearing up for their final two ‘home’ games in Guwahati, Rajasthan Royals’ chairman Ranjit Barthakur on Saturday took stock of the preparations at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in the city, and said that the team is looking forward to playing more than just a couple of games in the Northeastern city from the next edition of the Indian Premier League.

Barthakur, who was joined by BCCI joint secretary Devajit Lon Saikia, expected the team’s fan base to shoot to newer levels on its return to its second home base for a second successive time. The Rajasthan Royals will open their Guwahati leg with a match against Punjab Kings on May 15 before finishing their league stage assignments against table-toppers Kolkata Knight Riders on May 19.

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“Last year we (Rajasthan Royals) were a bit tentative as we were playing in Guwahati for the first time, but the kind of response we received was truly overwhelming, which is why we are really looking forward to the next couple of home games in Guwahati. It’s not about homecoming, but we are here to stay,” commented Barthakur.

“In the next two years, whether you have another IPL team or not, Assam should try and pitch for hosting five to seven IPL games. For RR side, we will play three matches here, we will manage the logistics, that shouldn’t be a concern,” he insisted.

Appreciating the wicket at the Barsapara Stadium, Barthakur cited Rajasthan Royals finisher Shimron Hetmyer, who had slammed his career’s third ODI century in West Indies colours at the stadium in 2018, and RR head coach Kumar Sangakkara, both of whom had praised the track.

“Hetmyer had praised the Guwahati pitch as the best in the country, and even our coach Kumar Sangakkara called it a neutral one. So in terms of infrastructure and conditions, Guwahati can be a perfect venue for hosting more IPL games,” he said.

Barthakur said that the motive behind promoting Guwahati as an IPL venue is because he expects at least 20 players from the region to feature in the lucrative league in the coming years. He went on to cite the example of the team’s leading run-scorer Riyan Parag, who has finally come of age in IPL 2024 after a few underwhelming seasons, while assuring that the Royals are committed to back talents from the region.

“Look at the way Riyan is performing this season, especially after a couple of poor seasons. We had to work on his health, and his batting at our centre in Nagpur, and his performances reflect the kind of work our team has put behind. We are here to back our players, and now Riyan is a role model. But I don’t want to focus only on him, the idea to get used to playing alongside international cricketers help develop our domestic talents. It also helps in the overall growth of cricketers from the region,” he explained.

“If we continue to work in that direction, we can expect at least 20 players from the region playing in the IPL. Next year there could be 12 teams in the IPL, it doesn’t matter whether the NE region gets an IPL team, the Rajasthan Royals will remain your team. We will make sure we will have our space in the Northeast,” he assured.

Barthakur also spoke on the Royals’ initiative of providing solar energy to a nature-neutral village, inhabited by people of the Mising tribe near Balipara besides appreciating Saikia’s suggestion of extending an helping hand to Assam cricket’s endeavour to promote women’s cricket.

“We are in the process of finalising it, it’s a nature neutral village near Balipara, if we can give energy to such places where there is no electricity, it will be beneficial for the people there. We will give out more details on it in the coming days,” he said while adding, “But I like the idea suggested by Saikia with regards to promotion of women’s cricket in the region, and the Rajasthan Royals will support the cause, as it’s been our motto, ‘Aurat hai toh Bharat hai’.”

Jay Shah, Roger Binny expected for RR v KKR match

Saikia, who has been at the forefront in bringing IPL games to the city, thanked the Royals for considering the city as their second home. He also said that Guwahati was set to host three IPL games this season but had to be satisfied with two due to the general elections, and the logistical and security challenges associated with it.

Expressing his gratitude to Jay Shah, Saikia said that the BCCI secretary is keen on developing cricket in the rest of the Northeastern states besides Assam and Tripura, and has been working towards bringing those states at par with the rest of the cricketing power-houses in the country.

“Jay Shah has been visiting Assam and the rest of the NE states quite often, he is keen on developing the cricket infrastructure across the other states and bringing them at par with the other cities. Simultaneously, the BCCI is committed to take women’s cricket along, and are looking at all avenues to promote women’s cricket across the region. In Assam, when we started the Kanaklata Trophy three years back we were a bit skeptical about the response, but we were pleasantly surprised to find 18 teams participating, and the numbers continue to grow each year,” Saikia commented.

aikia, also the Advocate General of the state, revealed that both Shah and BCCI president Roger Binny will be in attendance for the final IPL league stage game between Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders in Guwahati on May 19.