CUTTACK: Twenty-three-year-old all rounder Biplab Samantray has been bought by the Deccan Chargers team for this year’s IPL. A jubilant Samantaray told TOI on Sunday that his ultimate ambition was to play for India.

“I am really excited as I have been selected to play in the IPL. It’s a great platform for young players like me. I will try my best to perform well and catch the attention of national selectors and secure a position in the national team,” Samantray said over phone from Kolkata. He is in Kolkata to play the Vijay Hazare trophy. TheOdisha Cricket Association (OCA) has also expressed happiness over the development.

“We are extremely happy as Biplab has been chosen by the Deccan Chargers team for this season of the IPL. He is a talented player and he got his due,” said Asirbad Behera, secretary of the OCA.

OCA sources claimed Biplab has signed the contract with Deccan chargers for Rs 30 lakhs. “It’s a double bonanza for us as Deccan Chargers will play two matches at Cuttack this year and now Biblap has been selected to play IPL. The Odia cricketer will definitely pull spectators to the Barabati stadium to watch the IPL matches,” Behera added.

Deccan chargers will play the first match against Delhi Daredevils on April 19 and the second one against Kolkata Knight Riders on April 22. Prior to Biblab, Haldhar Das and Nataraj Behera were also selected by different teams to play IPL.

Samantray hogged limelight by being the costliest player in the Odisha Premier League (OPL) last year. He was bought by the Cutack team at a whooping cost of Rs 4.60 lakh. The Cuttack boy is an all-rounder and has performed well in the recent tournaments, including the Duleep trophy. He made his debut in first class cricket in November 2010.

New Delhi: Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA) CEO Tim May has expressed concern for the players of the IPL franchise Pune Warriors who have been left with no team to play for after the withdrawal of their owner Sahara India last week.

The former Australian cricketer said “plenty” of players expressed their concern to the FICA as many of them don’t have a team to play for in the fifth edition of the IPL because of the withdrawl of Sahara Group moments before the players’ auction last Saturday.

“We are concerned about the plight of all of the players from the Kochi and Pune teams,” May told PTI in an email interview.

“Players have signed contracts with these franchises for a period of 2 years and the players rightfully expect the franchises (or the IPL) to honor the financial benefits contained within these contracts,” he added.

The fate of the Pune players is hanging in balance even as the two warring bodies — Sahara India and BCCI — are set to meet this weekend to sort out their differences.

Besides pulling out of the IPL, Sahara also snapped its 11-year-old sponsorship deal with the Indian Cricket Team.

A couple of days after Sahara dealt twin blows to BCCI, former IPL chairman Lalit Modi claimed that the 2009 IPL auctions were rigged to enable Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to retain England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff.

Asked if Modi’s claims should be investigated, May said: “Honest and transparent organisations probe claims made against their organizations, if there is nothing to hide I presume that the IPL would have no issue with a proper and transparent investigation into this claim.”

The IPL have been engulfed in controversies related to corruption quite a few times and the FICA CEO said the transparency and accountability of the event was a concern.

“I think it is fair to say there are an increasing number of stakeholders who are concerned about the governance, accountability and transparency of this competition,” he said.

“To beat corruption within the game, we need all stakeholders including the administration to be honest, transparent and strong leaders,” he added.