Mississauga T20 Cricket Festival Promised To Be Exhilarating

By Ravi Madholall
The third edition of the annual Mississauga T20 Cricket Festival is promised to be exhilarating when ten teams will be rumbling from Thursday at the Mavis ground under lights.

Festival-Organizer Derek Perera pointed out that when the two finalists culminate things on Sunday evening he should be proud of another cricketing occasion of this magnitude.

With cash prize of CAD$4, 000 up for grabs (first-place), cricket fans, not only in the City of Mississauga, but in Toronto, Ontario and possibly elsewhere can be well-entertained.

Davy Jacobs, an opener From South Africa who established himself as a T20 specialist by featuring in the prominent India Premier League and the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), likely to be in the limelight at the four-day extravaganza.

The much-anticipated sizzling actions from the commencement should be intriguing as well cognizant of the fact that  Canada national Nikhil Dutta, who represented Barbados Tridents in the CPL too is among the star players to be on show.

“These [are] two quality T20 players and we have to be very thankful to them to be on show at the Festival; our aim is to showcase the talents in Canada and I think a competition like this will definitely bring out the best in the players”, Perera commented.

The tournament was originated in 2014 but in memory of a young talented promising cricketer Brandon Paltooram, who was murdered in 2008 but with huge interest shows in this riveting version, it is now called the Mississauga Festival and will continue to be so in the future, according to the former Canada International player, Perera.

Perera, who is the founder and head coach of the Ontario Cricket Academy and Club, mentioned that a large number of potentially Canadian players will be displaying their true abilities on the turf pitches and the springboard of the event is to attract families out too.

“I think with ten teams competing, it certainly gives everyone to be competitive; we will start at 6: 30 pm into the night and teams will get great opportunities to play good cricket as well,” Perera, who coached the International Cricket Council Americans squad to the 2016 West Indies Cricket Board’s NAGICO Super50 tournament in the Caribbean earlier this year, related.

Perera also emphasized the importance of the players developing their skills on this short tournament and subsequently Cricket Canada can benefit significantly.

“Well it is not only about coming out and play to win the tournament with a lot of young and aspiring cricketers participating, I think it will be good for them to use the opportunity to strengthen their game and keep aspiring to represent Canada at the highest level,” an enthusiastic Perera declared.