With the BCCI domestic season starting on September 21, several state organizations are finalizing their squads with an eye on ‘guest’ players. Karnataka is a prominent hunting ground for talent, owing to the state’s overabundance. The Sikkim Cricket Association is one of those seeking players (SCA), who conducted a two-day trial on Monday and Tuesday at the M Chinnaswamy stadium.

Sikkim intends to choose three men and two ladies for the next season. Cricketers from Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh also took part in the tryouts on Monday.

Last season’s Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 competition vice-captain Pavan Deshpande, all-rounder Aniruddha Joshi, Nitin Bhille, Nihal Ullal, M Kranti Kumar, CA Karthik, Shishir Bhavane, Ritesh Bhatkal, and Naga Bharath were among the Karnataka cricketers spotted in action at the KSCA ‘B’ stadium on Tuesday.

The hopefuls were put through their paces by selectors and veteran Sikkim players who oversaw the procedures. The president of SCA, Lobzang G Tenzing, told TOI that the organization’s goal was to develop a group of young people who could assist the squad pass from the plate level.

“We intended to travel to major cricketing states and search for guest players. We would have gone to other states if it hadn’t been for the epidemic. We needed younger players who could contribute to the team’s success. We asked the Karnataka State Cricket Association for assistance, and they were quite helpful,” he added.

This is the first time Sikkim has held tryouts for visitor players, and Tenzing described the experience as “exciting.” “We wanted to hold tryouts because when you ask for CVs, you generally get older players, but hiring younger players is a win-win situation.”

Sikkim has already signed former Rajasthan captain Robin Bist. Sikkim finished ninth out of ten Plate teams in the 2019-2020 season, winning one, losing five, and drawing three matches.