Syed Mustaq Ali T-20 tournament from Jan 2

Cuttack: The Barabati stadium here is being readied for the Syed Mustaq Ali T-20 tournament scheduled to be held from January 2.

The inter-state tournament organised by BCCI, involving all six teams of Group-D will be played in the stadium and the DRIEMS ground in Tangi. Officials said teams from Maharastra, UP, Karnataka, Services including Odisha are participating in the tournament.

Host Odisha will clash with Mumbai in the opening match on the inaugural day.

“Our team is well prepared for the upcoming tournament. Since we had a gap of 12 days, we utilised the time well,” Odisha coach Debasis Behera said.

“The most important thing is that we have a good combination of batsmen to counter the opponent bollowers. This time we have also given chances to new faces. Besides since we are playing the matches in the home ground, it will be an advantage for us,” Behera said.