With growing frustration among aspiring cricketers across Telangana — particularly those outside Greater Hyderabad — the time has come for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to act on a long-pending and just demand: recognition of the Telangana Cricket Association (TCA). Even the Supreme Court has directed the BCCI to address this legitimate claim.
Recent state team selections by the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) have triggered widespread protests, not just from city-based players but also from rural districts. Many feel neglected and unfairly excluded — victims of opaque decision-making that has long marred Hyderabad cricket. HCA’s credibility, already at rock bottom due to allegations of corruption, nepotism, and favouritism in both men’s and women’s team selections, now stands completely eroded.
With faith in HCA’s fairness gone, the BCCI must consider recognizing TCA as a parallel full-fledged association — just as Maharashtra and Gujarat each have more than one recognized state association.
A New Dawn for Telangana Cricket
The newly elected TCA leadership brings with it energy, vision, and integrity. Under the dynamic guidance of D.K. Aruna, Chairperson of the Governing Council, and B.B. Patil, President of the Association, Telangana’s cricketing community sees the beginning of a new chapter — one rooted in transparency, inclusivity, and empowerment.
The TCA’s administrative and managing committees comprise technically sound, hardworking individuals drawn from the heart of Telangana’s soil — people who understand both the game and the ground realities of the state’s youth. Their mission is clear: to empower rural talent, elevate men’s and women’s cricket, and integrate Telangana into the national and global cricketing mainstream.
Built on Merit and Reform
The Telangana Cricket Association is a constitutionally compliant, democratically elected, and socially inclusive body — fully aligned with the BCCI Constitution and the Supreme Court’s Lodha Reforms. With representation from all 32 districts and over 22,000 registered players, TCA is not just another sports body — it is a people’s movement built on equality, merit, and accountability.
For over a decade, Telangana’s youth have been denied fair chances to pursue their cricketing dreams. Many who could have been the next Dhoni, Kohli, or Sachin have been sidelined by the feudal monopoly of the HCA — where politics and personal networks, not performance, dictate opportunity. TCA was born out of this injustice — to democratize cricket and return it to those who play it, not those who profit from it.
A Social Revolution Through Sport
As Dr. B.R. Ambedkar once said, “Political democracy cannot last unless there lies at the base of it social democracy.” TCA embodies that principle in sporting form — uniting youth from every caste, class, and corner under the banner of fair play and equal opportunity.
At a time when leadership across sectors is often built on illusion and identity politics, TCA stands out as proof of what transparency and faith in youth can achieve. Swami Vivekananda’s immortal words — “You will be nearer to Heaven through football than through the study of the Gita” — remind us that sport builds character, courage, and unity. TCA’s movement carries that spirit forward.
TCA is not an elite club. It is an inclusive movement where diversity unites, where the privileged uplift the underprivileged, and where cricket becomes a symbol of equality and aspiration. Recognition by the BCCI is not a favour — it is justice. It is the rightful inclusion of Telangana’s youth into India’s cricketing future.
From Margins to Mainstream
Of the 22,000 players under TCA, nearly 98% come from rural and small-town backgrounds, many from BC, SC, ST, and minority communities. Supported by socially conscious leaders and local businesses, TCA transforms privilege into opportunity — and opportunity into performance.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has rightly said, “Sports is not merely a game; it is a mission to strengthen the spirit of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat.” Cricket in Telangana is more than a sport — it is a unifying force, a source of pride, and a ladder of hope for thousands.
The Legal and Moral Case
The BCCI’s own reformed Constitution mandates one democratically elected, inclusive body per state — not necessarily one per city. TCA fulfills every criterion: proper governance, fair elections, tenure limits, and active district associations. In fact, on July 11, 2021, the BCCI itself directed the HCA to collaborate with TCA — an implicit recognition of its legitimacy.
Had that order been implemented in spirit, Telangana might already have produced international players from districts like Nizamabad, Karimnagar, Warangal, Gadwal, and Khammam. Instead, talented youth continue to languish in neglect, victims of institutional arrogance and administrative apathy.
A Call for Justice and Vision
TCA represents the true Telangana — young, ambitious, inclusive, and fearless. It is more than an organization; it is a vision for tomorrow’s India. Recognition of TCA will not just change the game — it will change lives.
The association is ready — lawful, transparent, and future-driven — to transform Telangana’s untapped potential into India’s next generation of cricketing pride.
The ball is now in BCCI’s court. The question is — will it finally listen? (The author is founder secretary of TCA)
