70-yr-old Talim Shield shifts to Twenty20 mode

MN More, one of the founders of the Padmakar Talim Shield

The Padmakar Talim Shield, considered the world's oldest limited overs cricket tournament, will be a Twenty20 event this year as against the 45 overs-a-side format. It is learnt that MIG Cricket Club (Bandra, East), the organisers of the tournament, were informed by the Mumbai Cricket Association that the departure from the old format would be only for a year.

With the Vijay Hazare domestic one-day competition concluded [Mumbai won the title], the city cricketers can profit from the T20 Talim Shield before the T20 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy scheduled for February next year.

Of course, there is also the T20 Mumbai league [on the lines of IPL] that could be held before the 2019 edition of the Indian Premier League. The Talim Shield is rich in history and considered a significant fair weather tournament along with the Purshottam and Comrade Shields.

The Talim Shield was started in 1948 by three friends - Manohar N More, Ramesh B Dhonde and Balchandra Patil - in memory of their school friend Padmakar Talim, who died on October 6, 1947 due to appendicitis.

The first edition was held in 1948. Initially, single-innings matches involving eight teams, were held on Sundays and completed on the following Sunday, but logistic problems led to the MCA agreeing to a limited overs (50 overs) format from 1951. Since 1987, it has been played on a 45 overs-a-side basis.

It is learnt that a change in format for this season has been accepted by the clubs, but some of them have raised the necessity to conduct matches at gymkhanas which have the 30-yard circle so very essential to adhere to T20 rules and regulations.

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