Anupam Sanklecha

Anupam Sanklecha is a stalwart of the powerhouse Maharashtra side in Indian domestic cricket. He has led the attack for most of his career, dating back to his first-class debut in November 2004. Since then, he has played 61 Ranji Trophy games, where he has taken 215 wickets at 25.40 with 12 five-wicket bags and 2 ten-wicket match hauls.

Before the introduction of the Indian Premier League (IPL), he represented the Mumbai Champs in the Indian Cricket League (ICL). Thereafter, he has been a loyal servant of a Maharashtra side that has been littered with Indian internationals over the years.

Sanklecha is a prime example of the old adage “like a fine wine”, as he’s clearly getting better with age. His performances between 2004/05 and 2012/13 were inconsistent and he didn’t feature in Ranji cricket between 2006/07 and 2011/12. However, since his strong 2013/14 season (23 wickets at 30.86), he has excelled taking figures of 32 wickets at 20.34 (2014/15), 21 wickets at 25.42 (2015/16), 43 wickets at 16.18 (2016/17), 24 wickets at 29.54 (2018/19), and 15 wickets at 22.73 (2019/20). Sanklecha has also proven his worth with bat-in-hand over the years, with 3 half-centuries and a highest score of 66, all with a first-class average of 14.09 (16.08 in List A cricket).

The Indian has also starred in UK league cricket. After a stint in Durham for Evenwood in 2007, he spent 5 seasons (2014-18) dominating the Home Counties Premier League for Shipton-under-Wychwood (2014-18). In all cricket, he scored 1,970 runs at 29.40 and took 252 wickets at 13.03. He was the stand-out seamer in the Home Counties League, regularly featuring in the top few wicket-takers. His 63 wickets at 10.56 in 2017 were his best, which included figures of 8-8 when routing Reading for 38.

Unfortunately, the club was relegated down to the Cherwell League for 2019, therefore due to league rules, Sanklecha was deemed ineligible, hence unable to return. After a year's hiatus, Sanklecha signed with Home Counties Premier League outfit Horspath for the 2021 season. Unsurprisingly, he excelled, bagging a further 41 wickets at 16.22 to reaffirm his status as one of the leagues best ever professionals.