Vihari moves to Tripura from Andhra

India batter Hanuma Vihari has signed with Tripura ahead of the new domestic season, with the Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) granting him a no-objection certificate (NOC) for the same.

According to sources at the ACA, the move happened swiftly, with Vihari applying for the NOC on Sunday and receiving it in 24 hours.

This brings to an end a rocky relationship between him and the ACA. He had alleged “political interference” after stepping down as captain at the start of the 2023-24 season and was looking to change teams last season before Nara Lokesh, the general secretary of TDP, the state’s ruling party, talked him out of it.

Vihari was most recently in action in the just-concluded Andhra Premier League, where he captained runner-up Amaravati Royals. He scored 299 runs in seven matches and was named the Player-of-the-Tournament.

The 31-year-old, who has represented India in 16 Tests between 2018 and 2022, has so far played 84 domestic matches (44 for Andhra and 40 with Hyderabad), scoring 6168 runs with 14 centuries and 32 half-centuries.