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JP Atray Tournament Ends After 30 Editions, Leaving Cricket Legacy
The JP Atray Cricket Tournament was a major competition for Indian cricketers.
It began in 1991 to remember JP Atray, a cricket supporter and cricket official.
Many famous players, including Kapil Dev, MS Dhoni, Sourav Ganguly, and Cheteshwar Pujara, played in it.
More than 140 players from the tournament later represented India.
Pujara even learned during a match that he had been selected for India’s Test team.
The event grew from six teams to 16 teams over the years.
Organizers eventually struggled to find grounds because the cricket calendar became very crowded.
They decided to end the men’s tournament rather than change its one-day format.
The All India JP Atray Cricket Tournament has been discontinued after 30 editions spanning 34 years.
Founded in 1991 after JP Atray’s death, the tournament began with six teams and featured Kapil Dev.
More than 140 players who later represented India played in the tournament at some point.
Notable participants included Cheteshwar Pujara, Sourav Ganguly, MS Dhoni, and other prominent cricketers.
Organizers cited difficulties finding grounds amid a crowded calendar and declined to change its one-day format.
- Who
- The All India JP Atray Cricket Tournament’s organizers, including founding secretary Sushil Kapoor and convenor Vivek Atray, along with generations of Indian cricketers.
- What
- The men’s All India JP Atray Cricket Tournament has been discontinued after 30 editions.
- Where
- The tournament was held at venues including Sector 16 in Chandigarh, the IS Bindra PCA International Stadium, and Dhruv Pandove Stadium in Patiala.
- When
- It began in 1991 and played its final edition this year, after 34 years.
- Why
- Organizers could not continue finding grounds amid an increasingly crowded cricket calendar and did not want to alter the tournament’s one-day format.
Key facts
- Editions
- 30 editions
- Duration
- 34 years
- Founded
- 1991
- Initial teams
- 6
- Peak team field
- 16 teams
- Players later representing India
- More than 140
- Final prize money
- Rs 3 lakh
- Women’s tournament
- The Rama Atray Tournament will continue, with its seventh edition scheduled later this month.
Quotes
Sushil Kapoor
Founding organising secretary of the All India JP Atray Cricket Tournament
“The biggest legacy of the tournament has been the ability to give youngsters the chance to score runs and take wickets, and to see them excel wherever that took them, whether it was India colours or state colours.”
indianexpress.com
“When he died, we decided to hold the one-day tournament in his memory.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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