Counties Sports Hub takes a look at the player transfers, the key players and the ones to watch for the upcoming Counties Manukau Cricket Association Premier season, which starts on Saturday.
Karaka
Ins: Nil
Outs: Trey Bidois (Palmerston North), Josh Shackleton (retired)
MVP: Sam Varcoe. The Counties Manukau men’s captain broke the club run scoring record last season, plus featured for Northern Districts A and was in the runs in all formats of the game.
Player to watch: Mannu Sachdev. New to the premier grade last season. Will take the chief off spinner role from the club’s third highest wicket-taker Hayden Wark. Dismissed Tom Blundell at last season’s National Club Champs.
Outlook: Will be there to win titles this season and will be hoping for more success on the park than last summer. Creating depth will be their key.
Manukau City
Ins: Scott Johnston (Auckland)
Outs: Nil
MVP: Sandeep Patel. The Counties Manukau T20 skipper is one of the stand-out players in the competition in all formats of the game. A terrific all-round talent that can win games with bat or ball and is extremely experienced while still young in years.
Player to watch: Nathan Halliday looms as a very talented young player that should really establish himself as a premier player in 2021-22.
Outlook: Nothing short of winning silverware will be a success for Manukau City this season. They went so close last summer and should be even better this summer.
Papakura
Ins: Malav Brahmbhatt (North Shore)
Outs: Hemadri Chakraborty (overseas/hoping to return after Christmas), Avishek Chandra (overseas)
MVP: Hayden Dickson. The young Counties Manukau rep was a stand-out for the Papakura side last year in all formats of the game. He scored crucial runs and will continue to develop into a real match-winner for the club.
Player to watch: Aryandeep Mann. A right-hand batsman and wicketkeeper that turned just 15 years of age in mid-October, Mann joins the Prems from playing Senior A. Mann lives and breathes cricket and is an exciting prospect, especially with the bat.
Outlook: Papakura will want to continue to take steps forward after a promising season last summer. While winning silverware would be a huge achievement, beating the likes of Pukekohe or Manukau City in games will also be the measure of success.
Pukekohe Metro
Ins: Bharat Popli (Bay of Plenty), Blair Lovett (Waiuku)
Outs: Corey Hunter
MVP: Kurt Barnes. Barnes has become Pukekohe Metro’s go to man. The Counties Manukau rep has been a dominant spinner over many years and has scored crucial runs under pressure to get Pukekohe Metro over the line numerous times. A master builder by trade, Barnes is a man with many skills and is always able to hold his nerve under pressure. These skills were tested recently when he had to deliver his own baby at home.
Player to watch: The Farrell brothers (Fraser and Hamish) are the next crop of players to come through the Pukekohe Metro ranks. Both are batting allrounders that will bolster a strong batting line up and add some variety to a well-balanced Pukekohe Metro attack.
Outlook: It is hard to back-up from perfection but that is the task Pukekohe Metro faces this season. They start the summer as favourites in all formats and will have a target on their backs. Winning trophies will determine success but so too will be a strong showing in the Spark Regional competition.
Southern Counties
Ins: Tim Florence (Pukekohe Metro), Adil Somani (retirement)
Outs: Blair Lovett (Pukekohe Metro)
MVP: Andrew Goodare has made a name for himself in Senior A the past couple of seasons and is tipped to be a leading performer even at the higher level. It is understood Counties Manukau selectors are keeping close tabs on him this season.
Player to watch: Lee Kane is a talented all-rounder and looks to be a player capable of succeeding at Premier level. His strength is more with the bat but his out-swing bowling will be more than handy for the newbies in 2021-22.
Outlook: It is no small feat making the jump up to Premier cricket again while also managing the merger of three separate clubs. Winning games will be a success for Southern Counties in their inaugural season while just competing with the more established clubs will be their initial goal.
Weymouth
Ins: Perry Kumar (Auckland), Pankaj Sharma (Auckland), Parmjit Pannu (Papakura), Jagtinder Singh (Papakura)
Outs: Nil
MVP: Jay Dee Sandhu proved a destructive force at the top of the Weymouth order last season and was knocking on the door of Counties Manukau selection. Weymouth will be hoping he takes another step forward this season.
Player to watch: Kamalpreet Singh has great ability with the ball while his fielding in amazing.
Outlook: As it is with Southern Counties, making the step up to Premier cricket will not be easy and any wins over established opponents will be considered a success this season. They will have higher expectations in T20 and even one-day cricket, given how well they performed last summer.
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