Young wicketkeeper-batsman Rajesh Dhuper and allrounder Sushree Dibyadarshini Pradhan were today conferred with the Saheed Sporting-Maruti Estate (SS-ME) Cricketer of Year Awards for the year 2018. Cuttack lad Dhuper became the recipient of the 26th Cricketer of the Year Award, which carries a trophy, blazer and a cheque of Rs 31,000, while Bhubaneswar lass Sushree bagged the 5th Woman Cricketer of the Year Award along with trophy, blazer and a cheque of Rs 21,000.

Bhubaneswar Central MLA Bijay Kumar Mohanty and Hockey Olympian DilipTirkey handed over the awards in a function held here at Hotel Empires this afternoon. Maruti Estate India (P) Limited Managing Director Jitendra Pratap Singh and Saheed Sporting Club secretary Pankaj Patnaik were present on the occasion.

Dhuper put up impressive performance last season, mustering 275 runs with the highest average of 68.75 in three Ranji Trophy matches he played for Odisha. He also scored a total of 146 runs in four matches of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 Tournament and 164 in four games of the Vijay Hazare Trophy One-day Tournament.

The awardees were selected by a jury committee, comprising Maruti Estate India (P) Limited Managing Director Jitendra Pratap Singh and Saheed Sporting Club secretary Pankaj Patnaik, sports journalists Sanatan Pani, Sushant Mohanty, Sambit Mohapatra, Suresh Swain, Sanjib Biswal, Tapan Swain, Niranjan Reddy, Umakant Mishra and Samir Rout. Saheed Sporting-Maruti Estate Cricketer of Year Award, oldest of its kind in Odisha, was instituted in the year 1992-93. The Woman Cricketer of the Year Award was added in the year 2013-14.
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PHOTO: SS-ME Cricketer of Year awardees Rajesh Dhuper and Sushree Dibyadarshini Pradhan with guests and patrons in Bhubaneswar on July 29, 2018.