Pune, May 2 (IANS): Ratnagiri Jets snagged a total of seven players at the Maharashtra Premier League Player (MPL) auction to complete their squad. The defending champions went to the auction with the most retained players out of all the teams (15) and had a clear vision of the gaps that they needed to fill for the upcoming season.

The management’s auction strategy was simple and focused on the skill set that the team needed. The gaps identified by the Ratnagiri Jets drove the decisions that they made at the auction successfully as they picked up a replacement wicketkeeper in the form of Abhishek Pawar because the number of matches have almost doubled this season.

The team needed another fast bowler, Piyush Kamal and the most exciting new signee came in the form of Satyajeet Bachhav, undoubtedly one of the best left-arm spinners in the state.

"We began as defending champions, but that is the distant past. Our focus is on the present, as our responsibility to prepare for the contest began a while back and will never end. We look forward to the challenges this new season brings," said Ranjit Pande, head coach.

"In Season 1, our unity and dedication propelled us to victory. Now, as we announce our Season 2 lineup, the responsibility weighs even heavier on our shoulders. But with the same unwavering teamwork and commitment, we're ready to take on the challenge, aiming higher and flying further as Ratnagiri Jets”, said Rakesh Navani, team owner of Ratnagiri Jets.

Led by Azim Kazi, a seasoned campaigner for Maharashtra, the Ratnagiri Jets won the inaugural season of the MPL which made the decision very easy to retain most of the squad. The first season showed the willingness of the players to put their hand up for the team and there was a total of 5 different Man of the Matches that the team won.

The bowlers of the team have been stand-out performers with Kunal Thorat bagging 2 wickets vs the Solapur Royals, Divyang Hinganekar getting a scalp and scoring a crucial 46 off 15 balls to win against Chhatrapati Sambhaji Kings, Captain Azim Kazi cleaned out 3 wickets vs the Eagle Nashik Titans, and Vijay Pawale also took home the man of the match awards for their crucial two wickets each versus the Puneri Bappa and Kolhapur Tuskers respectively.

The second edition of the MPL will begin on June 2 and Ratnagiri Jets aim to repeat their performance by solely focusing on the processes that were responsible for winning them the cup the first time around.

The team has started training together and will continue to build on the plans that have been laid out by the coaching staff.

Ratnagiri Jets squad:

Abhishek Pawar (WK), Akhilesh Gawale, Azim Kazi (C), Dhiraj Phatangare, Divyang Hinganekar, Kiran Chormale, Krish Shahapurkar, Kunal Thorat, Nikhil Naik (WK), Nikit Dhumal, Piyush Kamal, Pradeep Dadhe, Preetam Patil, Rohit Patil, Sahil Churi, Sangram Bhalekar, Satyajeet Bacchav, Tushar Shrivastav, Vaibhav Chowghule, Vijay Pawale, Yash Borkar, Yogesh Chavan