Siddhesh Lad to play for Goa in upcoming domestic season

Seasoned batter Siddhesh Lad will be featuring for Goa in the upcoming domestic season, parting ways with Mumbai after nine years.

The 30-year-old Lad had obtained a No Objection Certificate from the Mumbai Cricket Association earlier this week | Photo Credit: THE HINDU/VIVEK BENDRE

Seasoned batter Siddhesh Lad will be featuring for Goa in the upcoming domestic season, parting ways with Mumbai after nine years.

The 30-year-old Lad had obtained a No Objection Certificate from the Mumbai Cricket Association earlier this week, but there were speculations over his possible move. While he had offers from three state associations, Lad confirmed to  Sportstar that he will be playing for Goa in the upcoming season.

Even the Goa Cricket Association officials confirmed that Lad will be joining the team in Delhi later this month and will participate in the JP Atray Trophy. Lad is currently in the United Kingdom, playing club cricket.

“I will be one of the most experienced players in the team when I join Goa. I feel my role will be to bring the team together - what the senior players do normally. Once I join the team and talk to the coaches, I will be able to know a bit more about the role,” Lad said.

Despite featuring in 61 first-class fixtures, Lad hasn’t been part of Mumbai’s red-ball team for a while. He was part of the Mumbai team in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali in 2021.

In the Indian Premier League, he was part of Kolkata Knight Riders but had to warm the bench. Lad is the second Mumbai player this time to seek a NOC from MCA. Last week, Arjun Tendulkar, the son of Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, too, decided to move on from Mumbai and is also set to turn up for Goa.

While Lad is looking forward to the challenge, he admitted that it is an emotional moment to part ways with Mumbai. “Yes, it is a bit difficult to leave Mumbai after playing for so many years. I played my school cricket and played Ranji Trophy for seven-eight years, so it was difficult, but somewhere, I want to play the whole season. In the last two-three years, I have been in and out of the team. I did not have one good season and then came back, but I thought that I am 30 now and it is important that I play the whole season. That’s why I decided to explore more opportunities,” he said.

Before taking the decision, he spoke to his friends in the Mumbai team and also with the seniors and “they all agreed” that it would be wise to play for Goa as there would be more game time.