Special Correspondent
For the first time in recent years, there appears to be a glimmer of hope among Hyderabad cricket stakeholders that the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) might finally be heading towards meaningful course correction. The Single Member Committee (SMC), headed by Justice P. Naveen Rao, seems to have taken a timely and potentially significant step by appointing Girish Dongre as the association’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The appointment could well mark the beginning of a long-awaited clean-up of an institution battered by allegations of corruption, nepotism, administrative mismanagement and controversies surrounding team selections.
Credit is also due to HCA Secretary M. Jeevan Reddy, who has actively backed the appointment and the reform process. Since his election in March 2026, he has pushed corrective measures, including bringing in former India cricketer Ambati Rayudu as Head of Cricket Operations and constituting fresh selection committees for the season. The new CEO’s induction is the latest step in that effort to professionalise the association’s functioning.
Dongre’s appointment has largely been welcomed by a sizeable section of the cricketing fraternity, particularly those affiliated club secretaries who genuinely want Hyderabad cricket to regain its lost credibility. A Hyderabad cricket personality with considerable experience as a coach, mentor and administrator, Dongre is familiar with the game’s grassroots realities as well as the association’s functioning. His association with the now-defunct Deccan Chargers, followed by assignments with the BCCI, a stint with the Andhra Cricket Association and coaching Hyderabad’s U-19 team have given him valuable exposure.
His record also includes more than five years with the BCCI, as Administrative Manager of Team India (2019-22) and Assistant General Manager (Operations) (2022-24), followed by a stint as Chief Operating Officer of the Andhra Cricket Association until July 2026. Earlier, he handled cricket operations for the Deccan Chargers and served as the BCCI’s liaison officer and coordinator for several visiting international teams.
While a section of former cricketers may have reservations about his appointment, many within the cricketing ecosystem believe that he deserves an opportunity to demonstrate what professional administration can achieve in an organisation desperately in need of credibility.
Importantly, Justice Naveen Rao’s decision appears to recognise a fundamental truth: HCA’s problems cannot be resolved merely by changing office-bearers. The institution needs structural reforms, professional management and, above all, the dismantling of entrenched interests that have allegedly reduced cricket administration to a tool for personal influence.
Ironically, Hyderabad cricket’s decline has unfolded under the watch of several former international cricketers who occupied influential administrative positions over the past two decades. Instead of leveraging their cricketing stature to strengthen the institution, successive administrations became embroiled in allegations of financial irregularities, conflicts of interest and selection controversies, eventually inviting judicial intervention.
The Supreme Court-appointed Ombudsman, Justice L. Nageswara Rao, had made considerable efforts to address these shortcomings, enforce the Lodha Committee recommendations and bring greater accountability to HCA. His interventions exposed several institutional weaknesses, including questions surrounding stadium-related expenditure, administration and nepotism. However, the implementation of the necessary corrective measures remained a challenge.
Justice Naveen Rao, too, has had to navigate a complicated administrative landscape. His insistence on obtaining proper agenda details before allowing another AGM to proceed is a case in point. Such insistence on procedural transparency is essential when members have repeatedly complained about inadequate circulation of agendas and minutes of previous AGMs and SGMs. General body meetings cannot become hurried formalities, with crucial decisions pushed through without meaningful discussion or accountability.
This is precisely where Dongre’s appointment assumes significance. He is not an outsider unfamiliar with Hyderabad cricket. Having been associated with its functioning over the years, he is expected to understand the personalities, power centres and institutional faultlines that need attention. Equally, his years managing Team India’s administration, handling visiting international teams and running franchise operations have shown him how professionally run cricket bodies function – the very standard HCA has failed to meet. His biggest challenge, however, will be to convert that familiarity into decisive administrative action.
First and foremost, he must help identify and weed out bogus and benami clubs allegedly maintained to manipulate the electoral process. Equally important is the need to examine conflicts of interest involving former cricketers and administrators who continue to exercise influence through affiliated clubs, academies and other positions. The alleged nexus between private academies, influential individuals and selection processes also requires transparent scrutiny. State teams must be selected strictly on merit, not through recommendations, financial considerations or personal connections.
At the same time, HCA’s own premier academy, which was established with considerable expectations, must be strengthened into a credible centre of excellence. It should become an integral part of identifying, nurturing and developing Hyderabad’s next generation of cricketers, with transparent pathways for talented youngsters from all districts.
Ultimately, Dongre cannot be expected to perform miracles overnight. Nor should he become merely another CEO occupying an office without the authority to act. He needs the full institutional backing of Justice Naveen Rao and the SMC, along with the freedom to enforce accountability without fear or favour. The continued support of Secretary Jeevan Reddy, who has championed these changes, will be equally crucial.
Hyderabad cricket has plenty of talent. What it has lacked for years is an administration capable of recognising, protecting and promoting that talent.
**Girish Dongre has an opportunity to change that narrative. His appointment may be the first encouraging signal, but his legacy will depend on whether he can turn HCA from a playground for power brokers into an institution that genuinely serves cricket.
