Rye Cricket Club have pulled off the major signing of overseas bowler Kshemal Waingankar, who is currently playing for the Mumbai Indians, for the 2015 season.
Waingankar, 29, is a right-arm opener, who has spent time with the Australian Centre of Excellence (2006/07) and has since been a member of the powerhouse Mumbai squad. During his tenure with Ranji Trophy’s most successful side, he has played alongside a host of the games’ greats, including Zaheer Khan, Wasim Jaffer and Sachin Tendulkar. Check out his record here.
His appearances have been limited with the current Mumbai seam attack, which includes national players Ajit Agarkar, Abhishek Nayar, Aavishkar Salvi and India A’s DS Kulkarni. That said, he has impressed at domestic level, particularly in the shorter formats and has a penchant for dismissing profile players.
Waingankar has starred in three outings against the touring England side – firstly for the India President’s XI in 2006, taking figures of 4-79 including the wickets of Andrew Strauss, Geraint Jones and Michael Vaughan (in both innings). In 2008, he took a devastating 5-37 for the Mumbai Cricket Association XI to see England bowled out for 98. He took the wickets of Ian Bell, Kevin Pietersen, Samit Patel, Ravi Bopara and Luke Wright.
More recently in November 2012 in a 3three-day match for Mumbai A, Waingankar proved again to be England’s nemesis, taking 3-72 in the first innings, including eight maidens and the wickets of Nick Compton (bowled) and, for a second time, Bell and Patel, both caught behind.
Waingankar is a proven performer who is now seeking a return to the UK after three successful stints back in 2005 (Downend), 2007 (Old Whitgiftians) and 2013 with Sussex club Pulborough, where he took 26 wickets at 20.08 and struck 314 runs at 39.25, including a best of 150 in the final match to coincide with another 5-for to sign off for the club
He will also be coaching the Colts teams at the Friday evening sessions starting on May 1: a great opportunity for local young players to learn how to play from a first-class player.