Valthaty eyeing move to Himachal Pradesh

Paul Valthaty, the Mumbai batsman whose form with the bat for Kings XI Punjab during this year's IPL put him in the spotlight, has said he is looking forward to playing for Himachal Pradesh in the upcoming Indian domestic season. His move to Himachal Pradesh is subject to the Mumbai Cricket Association providing him with a No-Objection Certificate, for which he has applied.

If the move goes through, Valthaty will be playing in the Ranji Trophy Plate League since Himachal were relegated from the Super League after finishing bottom of their group last season.

"Personally leaving Mumbai will be tough; after all my entire life has been based here, including my cricket. But when I got an offer from Himachal, I decided to move on," Valthaty told Sportsline. "It will be a good opportunity for me to showcase my talent and I'm looking forward to the upcoming season. My IPL performance has certainly boosted my confidence and I want to continue the good work."

Valthaty's decision comes soon after he was named vice-captain of Mumbai's 15-man squad for the Buchi Babu All-India Invitational that will be held later this month. Valthaty is yet to play for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy and has represented the team in only one List A game, against Baroda in 2006. Following his headline-grabbing century against Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, Valthaty was engaged in a tussle with Sachin Tendulkar for the top spot on the run-scorers' charts, before finishing the league at No. 6 with 463 runs from 14 games.

Vishal Marwaha, the joint-secretary of the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association, said the organisation was waiting on the NOC. "He [Valthaty] is yet to submit his NOC, but we are hopeful to get it at the earliest. The way he performed during the IPL has certainly shown his talent and we are confident that he will deliver for us."