Ankit Sharma obtains NoC from Puducherry, likely to move to Kerala

Ankit Sharma has obtained a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Cricket Association of Puducherry (CAP). Hailing from Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, the left-arm spinner has played a total of 68 First-Class and 56 List A matches, respectively.

It is likely that Ankit will represent Kerala in the upcoming domestic season. Ankit was previously employed with Siechem Technologies and sources from the CAP, according to Cricbuzz, have confirmed that he has resigned from that job.

A Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) official provided an update on Ankit's status regarding joining Kerala.

"We have interviewed Ankit. He had come down to Kerala for an interview, but we are yet to take a final decision," stated the KCA representative.

Ankit's left-arm spin has produced 49 wickets in 17 FC games for Puducherry. He has also played 13 List A matches and as many T20s for the state, picking up 12 wickets and 11 wickets in the formats, respectively. Coming lower down the order, Ankit has also played some handy knocks with the bat.

According to the CAP officials, Sidak Singh, another left-handed all-rounder, will replace Ankit in the Puducherry side. Jayant Yadav, Diddhant Adhatrao and Puneet Datey have been named as their professional players for the season until now.

Ankit made his debut for Madhya Pradesh at the age of 18. However, it took him six years to establish himself in the red-ball unit. The 34-year-old enjoyed his best season in the the 2015-16 edition. He snapped 33 wickets, which also comprised a career-best 13 for 108 against Andhra to help Madhya Pradesh qualify for the knockout stages.

Ankit has not featured in the Indian Premier League since 2018. He has played 22 matches in the tournaments with four franchises, namely Deccan Chargers, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rajasthan Royals and Rising Pune Supergiant.