By RM Bhaskar
In competitive sport, selection is meant to be the ultimate meritocracy. Runs, resilience, and consistency are supposed to speak louder than affiliations or influence. Yet in Hyderabad cricket, a growing chorus of players, parents, and club officials is raising uncomfortable questions about whether performance alone is still the decisive factor in climbing the representative ladder.
At the heart of the current debate is what critics describe as an unusual concentration of players from a single affiliated club—Deccan Wanderers—across multiple state teams, including the Ranji Trophy side. The club is closely associated with Adnan Bafna, who also operates a private cricket academy. While there is nothing inherently improper about an academy mentor seeing his trainees progress, observers argue that the emerging pattern of selection warrants closer institutional scrutiny, particularly under the oversight of the High Court–appointed Supervisory Committee tasked with restoring transparency and public trust within the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA). The concerns being voiced are not abstract. They are rooted in specific, match-by-match decisions that, to many observers, appear difficult to reconcile with published performances in the local league.
One recurring issue is the apparent mismatch between domestic roles and representative team assignments. P. Nitish Reddy of Deccan Wanderers, for instance, featured in two Ranji Trophy matches this season—against Jammu & Kashmir and Mumbai. In both fixtures, he was slotted into the middle order, despite playing primarily as an opening batsman for his club across formats. His returns in those games—3 and 0 in one match, 6 and 0 in the other—were modest.
By contrast, players like H.K. Simha of Balaji CC, a regular middle-order batter in multi-day league cricket, scored three centuries this season. His past record includes hundreds and even a double century at BCCI age-group level, along with instances of carrying his bat, markers traditionally seen as indicators of temperament and endurance. Yet he has not been afforded a single Ranji opportunity so far.
This contrast has sharpened perceptions that access, rather than output, may be influencing who gets a chance at the next level.
The issue came to a head in what was described by some club officials as the final match of the season, when two wicketkeepers—Rahul Radesh and Pragya Reddy—were both included as middle-order batters. At the same time, other specialist middle-order players with multiple league hundreds were left out. To critics, this selection logic raises fundamental questions: What are the benchmarks being applied? Is role specialization being overridden by other considerations?
Club administrators say they are struggling to answer players and parents who come seeking clarity. “If the HCA had clearly communicated the criteria for selection, we could have guided our players accordingly,” said one team official. “Right now, we are being asked to explain decisions we don’t have insight into.”
Adding to the frustration are claims that league performance data is not always accurately or consistently reflected on the HCA’s official platforms. Without transparent, accessible statistics, clubs argue they are denied even the basic tools to formally question or appeal selections.
None of this constitutes proof of wrongdoing. Patterns, however, matter in institutions entrusted with public credibility. When a single academy-linked club appears to dominate pathways into state teams, it becomes incumbent on oversight bodies to ensure that the process is not just fair, but seen to be fair.
The Supervisory Committee was installed precisely to dismantle perceptions of “pay to play” or preferential access. This moment, many believe, offers a test of its mandate. Publishing clear selection policies, standardizing performance metrics, and opening formal channels for grievance redressal would not only protect players—it would protect the integrity of the HCA itself.
In cricket, as in governance, sunlight remains the most effective disinfectant. Without it, every selection risks being viewed not as a reward for runs scored, but as a product of who stands closest to the corridors of influence. (The author is Secretary of Balaji Cricket Club, which is in A Division of HCA leagues)
