A concerned club secretary
It pains me deeply — as someone who has served Hyderabad cricket for decades — to see our once-proud institution reduced to a circus of scams, nepotism, and “pay-to-play” politics. The Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA), once a nursery of India’s finest talents, has become synonymous with everything that’s wrong in Indian domestic cricket: opaque governance, compromised selections, and a total erosion of trust.
But all is not lost. What Hyderabad cricket needs today is not another committee or press statement, but a blueprint for clean governance, professional administration, and a player-first culture.
Step 1: Rebuild Trust and Positivity
Let’s start by celebrating what’s still good. The Buchi Babu Trophy win, the rise of players like Tilak Varma and Mohammed Siraj — these are reminders that talent still thrives despite the chaos. The HCA must restore a sense of purpose by revisiting BCCI’s operational best practices (Rule 8.5).
We should host an Annual Hyderabad Cricket Conclave — a neutral, cricket-only forum that brings together ex-players, clubs, selectors, and coaches. No politics, no factions — just cricket.
Step 2: Build a Trusted Leadership Structure
Reference: Lodha Reforms (2016)
We need to move from personality-driven administration to a professional management system. A Core Implementation Team should oversee reforms, with transparent recruitment of qualified General Managers for men’s and women’s cricket.
A Revival Committee made up of reputed club representatives can monitor progress and ensure decisions reflect cricketing merit, not personal loyalties.
Step 3: Launch the Telangana Premier League (TPL)
The time has come for Hyderabad to have its own state-level T20 platform — the Telangana Premier League. Run on a franchise or club-based model, co-funded by the HCA (50%) and sponsors, it should feature a mix of state and professional players. Done right, it can become a feeder system for young cricketers and a financial stabilizer for the association.
Step 4: Revive the Leagues — City and District
Reference: BCCI Domestic Structure & Talent Development Guidelines
Hyderabad’s famed A–B–C–D division leagues must be modernized, with promotion/relegation, proper scheduling, and digital records. Each district, under HCA supervision, should run its own structured leagues, creating a unified, merit-based talent pipeline — leagues → zonals → probables → state team.
Inactive clubs must lose voting rights, while active ones should be held accountable for maintaining coaching infrastructure and transparent player records.
Step 5: Modernize the Hyderabad Cricket Academy
Under the mentorship of V.V.S. Laxman, the Academy can again become a finishing school for excellence. Modeled on the BCCI’s NCA, it must focus on fitness, technical refinement, and mental conditioning.
Clubs in A-D divisions should recruit at least 70% of players from Academy-trained batches — a sure way to make the academy meaningful.
Step 6: Make Selection Transparent
Reference: Zonal Selection & Talent Pathway Model
Selections must be based purely on performance and data — not influence.
A four-tier system can ensure fairness:
- League Performances – all stats digitized and verified.
- Zonal Camps – eight zonal teams (two each from North, South, East, West Telangana).
- Probables List – shortlisted through analytics and fitness tests.
- Final State Team – chosen through intra-squad games, monitored by independent observers.
Continuous mid-season evaluations will keep complacency in check.
Step 7: Empower Women’s Cricket
We must launch a Hyderabad Women’s League to ensure regular competition and visibility. Qualified women coaches, selectors, and equal access to physios and facilities should no longer be token gestures — they must be non-negotiable standards.
Step 8: Infrastructure and Transparency
The HCA should develop its own stadium while strengthening district grounds with floodlights, digital scoring, and live streaming. All financial statements must be audited and published annually. Player data and match results must be digitized for public access.
Step 9: Integrity, Governance, and Elections
Form an HCA Anti-Corruption & Ethics Unit (HCA-ACU) and a Grievance Cell with whistleblower protection. Conduct annual integrity workshops for players and staff.
Only active clubs should have voting rights. Inactive or corrupt clubs must be barred. Representatives must choose between being selectors, coaches, or voters — not all three. Institutional club votes must be restricted to current employees, not retirees seeking influence.
Step 10: Apex Council — Policy Over Politics
The Apex Council must focus on policy and oversight, not day-to-day operations. Professional committees should execute plans and be reviewed quarterly for performance and transparency.
A Vision Forward
Hyderabad cricket’s journey from controversy to credibility begins with courage — the courage to admit what went wrong, and the will to rebuild what was once great.
We owe this to every young cricketer in Telangana who dreams not of favors but of fair play. Let the HCA rise again — not as a playground for politicians, but as a nursery for champions. (The author’s name withheld on request)
