In the third year of Actors Cricket Bash (ACB), Raunak Bhinder will be playing for Team Delhi Titans. Founded by Dilip Agrawal, this four-day-long T10 cricket tournament begins on March 19 and will be held at the Air India Ground, Mumbai. Raunak, who has been a part of the earlier two seasons, is more than elated to be a part of the game this time too.
“When we actors play cricket on the field, it’s a different feeling together. Due to Covid, things have already got delayed. It was going to happen in January this year. We used to ask Dilip sir about the next dates for the tournament, but at that time no one was sure how this would happen. So it was quite upsetting because I’m passionate about cricket, it’s my childhood love. In fact, I always wanted to become a cricketer, so I’m excited to go to the field and play,” he says.
The actor says that there’s no fun without competition and because of competition the team spirit always remains high. “I think there should be healthy competition between players. The energy level is going to be higher this time at ACB. I hope cricket lovers would also enjoy watching it,” he shares.
In India, cricket is played in every nook and corner. The sport is considered a religion in the country.
“After the 1983 World Cup win and Sachin Tendulkar started showing his skill, the craze of cricket increased. Cricket for me is an emotion. I used to play cricket with my brother, go to stadiums and the grounds too. My love for this sport is immense. I am a fan of Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Mahendra Singh Dhoni,” he says, adding Dhoni is one he admires the most for his IQ level, sixth sense, calmness, understanding his team and management qualities.
Raunak has been practicing hard for the tournament. He is also playing practice matches.
“Dilip sir has a group Boxy Boyz Sports Team. So I play for them too. I play cricket regularly and more so now to stay in form. So my practice is going well for ACB and I’m very excited about the same time. I’m working on my bowling and fitness. My expectation from ACB is that it scales heights in the coming years. Even now it’s a very big tournament because Dilip sir has come up with another team, Bhojpuri Stars. So he is organizing it on a much grander level. I hope in future this tournament will happen abroad, maybe in Dubai or Australia,” he adds.
Calling Dilip a one-man army, Raunak says, “Dilip sir is the best. I have been playing for his team for quite some time now. He is so good at his work and always ready to go that extra mile to make things work. A lot of actors are playing this season and he’s providing a platform for everyone to play a sport they love and giving audiences another reason to have a good time. He’s a great man with a big heart.”
Meanwhile, the Indian Premier League (IPL) is also coming up. The actor is looking forward to watching the same.
“Dhoni is my favourite player and I am going to support his team Chennai Super Kings this time too. They have been my favourite since 2008. I also like Ravindra Jadeja and he is a part of CSK too. I pray that they win the tournament this year,” he ends.
