PUDUCHERRY: The CAP U19 Men’s Inter-State One-Day Siechem Trophy 2026 is gathering momentum, with several of India’s emerging cricketers producing impressive performances in one of the country’s most competitive invitational Under-19 tournaments.
Featuring teams from Pondicherry, Goa, Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh, the tournament has attracted several current and former India Under-19 players, along with multiple cricketers who have trained at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (formerly the National Cricket Academy), making it an important platform ahead of the upcoming BCCI domestic season.
What makes this year’s batting performances particularly noteworthy is the venue. Pondicherry is traditionally known for offering challenging batting conditions, while the intense July heat, with temperatures frequently exceeding 40°C and high humidity, makes long innings physically demanding. Despite these testing conditions, several young batters have produced outstanding performances.
Batting Leaders (After Five League Matches)
Pondicherry’s Aahill Kachru leads the run charts with 316 runs at an average of 79.00 and a strike rate of 94.00, with innings of 4, 118, 97 not out, 62 and 35.
A former BCCI Centre of Excellence Under-16 trainee in Mumbai and later part of the Under-19 Elite Centre of Excellence camp in Rajkot, Kachru has built a reputation for compiling substantial hundreds in BCCI age-group cricket, and his current form continues that trend.
Goa’s Aaditya Kota follows with 264 runs (Avg. 52.00), while Rithwik Sood (Chandigarh) has 229 runs (Avg. 57.00). Goa’s Vinit Kamat has accumulated 223 runs (Avg. 44.00), with Markanday Panchal (Chandigarh) completing the top five with an impressive average of 72.00.
Leading Wicket-Takers
- Govind Sawal (Goa) – 13 wickets
- Mihir Kudalkar (Goa) – 11 wickets
- Sahil Kumar (Himachal Pradesh) – 10 wickets
- Hari Prasad (Pondicherry) – 7 wickets
With several league fixtures still to be played, both the batting and bowling leaderboards remain wide open.
The Siechem Trophy continues to showcase the depth of India’s Under-19 talent, providing a high-quality platform for players to strengthen their credentials ahead of the Vinoo Mankad Trophy, Cooch Behar Trophy and future representative honours.
With Aahill Kachru’s proven appetite for compiling big hundreds in BCCI age-group cricket and another prolific tournament under way, could these performances strengthen his case for an India Under-19 berth later this year?
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