SG to submit pink balls for testing

The Indian cricket board (BCCI) has opted for the tried and tested Kookaburra pink ball for the ongoing Duleep Trophy but SG, the company which supplies the bulk of balls for domestic and Test matches at home, is ready with its pink samples for testing at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore.

"We are going to submit the samples of our latest pink ball to the board. We couldn't do it earlier because of shortage of time. Hopefully, our latest samples will appeal to the officials and players," SG's Paras Anand told TOI on Wednesday.

A pink Kookaburra ball costs BCCI around Rs 7,200 but the pink SG balls would cost much less. An SG Test ball used for home series costs around Rs 1500 but BCCI pays a standard rate of Rs 1000 per ball as it buys the red balls in bulk.

The cost of the pink version would be around the same price band.