India is celebrating a historic moment today. Our Women in Blue have lifted the World Cup, conquering the cricketing world and proving once again that Indian cricket stands unmatched in spirit and excellence. Behind this triumphant moment lies discipline, belief, sacrifice, and perseverance. It is a victory that reminds us of Mithali Raj — a woman who dared to dream without receiving the support and institutional backing that many others enjoyed. Her journey from Hyderabad to cricketing immortality is one built on grit against indifference, a testament to what Telangana can produce even when the system fails to nurture its own. Yet, her story raises a troubling question that echoes across Telangana: why is Telangana invisible in Indian cricket representation? Not a single player from Telangana’s districts is part of this World Cup-winning team, nor does even one figure in any of the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA)-run state teams. A state brimming with young talent is being denied even the chance to compete.
Ironically, Mithali Raj was honoured not by her home association, but by the Andhra Cricket Association. The same neglect has plagued legends like Shivlal Yadav and Syed Abid Ali — both delayed recognition in their own homeland. In his final years, Syed Abid Ali chose to mentor the Telangana Cricket Association (TCA), recognizing that the true future of Telangana cricket lies not in Hyderabad’s elite corridors but in the small towns and mandals where talent breathes every single day. Under his guidance, 40 district coaches began nurturing young players without forcing families into Hyderabad’s costly and exploitative cricket economy. There is no “pay to play,” no discrimination favouring the privileged. It is cricket that is accessible, inclusive, and rooted in community.
For four decades, Telangana has struggled for fair recognition. In the ten years since the state came into existence, TCA has repeatedly approached the BCCI not for privilege or charity, but for justice and rightful representation. Though the BCCI opened a small window for Telangana in 2021, the time has come to open the main door. HCA’s administrative failures are no mystery. Court cases, forensic audits, media investigations, committee observations, statements from players and officials — all have documented how governance has collapsed inside HCA. Yet, despite such deep-rooted corruption and dysfunction, the BCCI continues to rely on HCA alone as the representative of Telangana cricket. Because of this, more than 80 percent of Telangana’s districts remain unrepresented in official state cricket. Not a single TCA player is even called for state selection trials. This is not a shortage of talent. It is a systematic denial of opportunity.
If the BCCI Constitution, Lodha Committee reforms, and the National Sports Governance Act 2025 are to carry any meaning at all, then Telangana’s cricket governance must reflect the state itself, and TCA must be recognized as the legitimate state-level cricketing body for Telangana. TCA represents Telangana; HCA represents only Hyderabad. This distinction is critical. Other states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, and even union territories like Chandigarh have multiple recognized cricket associations. If they can have representation, then why must a state of 3.5 crore people be forced to wait indefinitely, silenced by administrative delay and institutional apathy? This generation has waited long enough. After conducting more than 5,000 matches in BCCI-prescribed formats and fulfilling every constitutional requirement, Telangana’s aspiring cricketers now demand outcomes, not promises that exist only in rulebooks nobody follows.
Today’s youth — boys dreaming of becoming the next Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, or Virat Kohli, and girls aspiring to be the next Mithali Raj, Smriti Mandhana, or Harmanpreet Kaur — are left without answers. When the nation is moving forward in every sector, aiming for global excellence and equitable opportunity, why is Telangana alone being left behind in cricket? How is it that BCCI supports cricket all over the world — even helping struggling nations survive — but fails to extend justice within India itself? This is no longer an administrative lapse. It is a denial of identity, dignity, and the basic right to dream. When the children of an entire state are not allowed even to stand on the field and try, how can we claim that Indian cricket is truly national? If a father has two children, what justice is it to feed only one and starve the other?
If fairness does not prevail soon, the next Mithali Raj, the next Shefali Verma or Deepti Sharma, the next Abid Ali or Shivlal Yadav, and perhaps even the next Dhoni or Kohli may simply disappear before they are ever discovered. That is the magnitude of what is at stake. BCCI stands today as a global leader in cricket governance — admired, respected, and influential. The world looks to India for leadership and vision. If the BCCI truly believes in Indian talent, it must believe in Telangana. Even from within, the warnings have been clear. As one former cricketer painfully remarked, HCA has reached “fourth-stage cancer,” yet resources and sympathy are being extended only to keep it artificially alive. Why preserve a structure that has failed generations when a vibrant alternative — TCA — has already proven its capability?
All Telangana asks is recognition, fairness, and the same opportunities that every other state enjoys. The countless alarms, appeals, and submissions cannot be ignored anymore. This is a call to the BCCI to open the door wide, to let the children of Telangana dream freely again, to allow them to rise and represent India with the dignity they rightfully deserve. A stronger Telangana strengthens Indian cricket — not the other way around. Justice delayed is justice denied. Telangana’s time is now.
