IPL only motivation for Deodhar participants

Cuttack (PTI): When the country's top players are going great guns with no place to fill in the Team India line-up, the season-ender Zonal One-Day tournament for Deodhar Trophy is reduced to a routine affair.

The second edition of the Indian Premier League beginning in about a month's time, will be the only motivation for the fringe players to do well in this zonal meet as they would like to take the momentum into the Twenty20 extravaganza.

The Board has added some foreign flavour to the meet by inviting Zimbabwe President's XI to help in their revival in cricket.

Over the next six days beginning tomorrow, the five zonal teams -- North, Central, East, West and South -- and the Zimbabwe President's XI will lock horns in Group A and B on a round-robin basis in two venues of Barabati Stadium and Ravenshaw University Ground.

The chance to clash with the top Indian fringe players will give Prosper Utseya-led Zimbabwe President's side a huge boost in their redevelopment of cricket.

Having come up with some much-improved performances in Bangladesh where they lost 1-2 before whitewashing Kenya 5-0 in Nairobi, the President's side of Zimbabwe will surely add the surprise element.