Special Correspondent Even as the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) remains entangled in multiple legal battles and under the watch of a court-appointed administrator, a section of its truncated apex council appears unwilling to learn from past controversies. According to insiders, HCA Joint Secretary Basavaraju is reportedly pushing for a grandiose multi-level parking facility at the…
Rules Never Made, Inquiries Never Done When this series began, we exposed how Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) was converted into a private fiefdom — funds diverted, selections rigged, and cricketing facilities left to rot. But if one thought that was the worst of it, the next layer of rot lies in something even more fundamental:…
Another September, another United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session. Once again, the world’s leaders descended on New York to solve global problems—by talking about them endlessly. If nothing else, this annual jamboree is proof that while technology has advanced, politics remains stuck in a perpetual Groundhog Day. This year, though, the farce had extra seasoning….
MS Shanker The Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) has become less about cricket and more about courtrooms, with the Telangana High Court forced yet again to play umpire in the Association’s never-ending dramas. On Monday, the proceedings opened with a sharp rebuke to one of HCA’s own office-bearers, setting the tone for a day that underlined…
Our Special Correspondent The Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) is once again mired in controversy, with its truncated Apex Council — now led by Acting President Daljit Singh — deciding to reinstate two suspended members, R.A. Swaroop and Roma Singh. The reversal, taken just after the Association’s adjourned Annual General Meeting, has resurfaced as a legal…
MS Shanker A short video doing the rounds on social media has ignited speculation: Did Prime Minister Narendra Modi narrowly escape an assassination attempt during his recent visit to Beijing for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit? The clip links together several threads — Modi’s remarks about “safe return” from international trips, his drive with…
When Even the Balls Were Fixed Stadium chairs are bad enough. But cricket without balls? That’s not just corruption — that’s sacrilege. Yet the HCA managed to pull it off, with the finesse of a street-corner hustler palming cards. The forensic audit uncovered the great cricket ball scam of 2020–22. It revolved around two shady…
So, Donald Trump did the unthinkable. He hiked the H1-B visa fee to a jaw-dropping $100,000 a year. Indians screamed, IT firms panicked, and WhatsApp groups of US-obsessed engineers went into collective mourning. “What about our dream?” they cried. Ah, the great American Dream—otherwise known as the great Indian Obsession. To them I say: stop…
MS Shanker In India, dynasties don’t fade; they just change uniforms. Some wear crisp white kurtas and sit in Parliament; others slip into blazers and preside over cricket associations. Either way, they rule. Elections and trials are for the aam aadmi; succession is strictly for the khaas aadmi’s son, daughter, nephew, or, when imagination runs…
MS Shanker The Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA), already under fire for a series of administrative lapses, has once again invited criticism—this time over its handling of women’s team selections. Despite being reduced to a truncated apex council after recent controversies, the remaining office-bearers had an opportunity to rebuild confidence. Instead, their latest decision has raised…
