Special Correspondent
Parents Expose U-23 Selection Scam as Officials Look Away
The Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) has plunged into yet another scandal, and this time, the outrage is louder, angrier, and more damning than before. With the crippled Apex Council remaining indifferent and the State High Court–appointed Supervisory Committee, headed by former judge Justice Naveen Rao, unable or unwilling to enforce discipline, parents of young cricketers are now approaching Orangenews9 in desperation.
For them, this platform has become the only refuge willing to uncover the corruption, manipulation, and pay-to-play racket that has been hollowing out Hyderabad cricket for years.
Dozens of parents have raised alarms about rampant bribery in selections, illegal “payments” demanded by brokers, and open manipulation of trials by selectors who act with impunity.
Orangenews9 has been forwarding these complaints to the concerned authorities, but the silence is deafening. No inquiries. No monitoring. No accountability.
The bigger question now haunting parents is blunt: Is the HCA ignoring these complaints because it is part of the racket?
The controversy around the Men’s U23 team remains very much alive and is only getting darker. A quick look at the squad makes it obvious that the Junior Selectors are taking directions from individuals close to the powerful and well-connected. Most players come from just two academies — one in Secunderabad run by a former Apex Council member linked to the 58 clubs and close to the current JS, and another previously operating in Himayat Nagar, also aligned with the 57-club network and Junior Selectors.
Across U23 and U19, selections consistently favour players from the same set of clubs: EMCC, Deccan Wanderers, PKMCC, Cambridge, Sportive, Khalsa, UBI, and Sporting — all controlled by influential club secretaries.
Merit has clearly taken a back seat, replaced by academy influence, mentorship networks, and package deals.
The latest controversy—one of the most shocking yet—centres on the Women’s Under-23 state team selections.
According to parents, the process was rigged from the start, with even successful state performers benched to accommodate at least seven under-skilled players allegedly pushed in by a private-academy owner and self-styled power broker.
The allegations are explosive:
• Boundary lines allegedly shortened to help specific players look good
• Selectors pressured to include names handed from “above”
• Genuine talent sidelined overnight
• A private academy owner reportedly acting as the “fixer” between parents and selectors
If even half these claims are true, this is nothing short of a match-fixing-style operation inside a state selection system.
Equally disturbing is the police inaction. Several parents confirm that they filed earlier complaints about financial irregularities in HCA processes—only to see them buried under files.
“Even when evidence was given, nothing happened. Why?” asks one aggrieved father.
“Is the police waiting for the sport to collapse completely?”
Parents insist that the current U-23 ( women and men) scam demands immediate criminal investigation, not routine lip service.
Former Test and state players contacted by this correspondent confirm that they have heard of such corruption in recent years.
One former head of the HCA selection committee stated, “This decline became blatant only recently. During my time, selections were clean. Today, it has become a business.”
Several ex-players admit helplessness, as probing agencies and cricket administrators remain unmoved despite mounting evidence.
In a rare and bold step, some parents have publicly named the person they believe is the “rogue operator”: Surender, allegedly a power broker influencing selectors and pushing specific players into the squad.
Parents also identified several players who they claim benefited from manipulated trials and undue influence, including Hiral Joshi, K Pratika, P Akshaya Reddy, and GT Bhavagriya, besides the involvement of a senior player’s father.
Supporting scanned clips have been shared with Orangenews9 and are now posted here
The big picture is grim. Every new complaint—every young talent denied opportunity—adds to a mountain of evidence that the HCA is collapsing from within.
• Apex Council indifferent
• Supervisory Committee is ineffective
• Selectors compromised
• Police unwilling to act
• Parents losing faith
• Players giving up hope
Hyderabad cricket stands on the edge of a cliff, and unless urgent action is taken, the game in the city risks a complete moral, structural, and competitive breakdown.
For now, Orangenews9 remains the only forum raising its voice. But unless the authorities act, public pressure alone may not be enough to save Hyderabad cricket from those who profit by destroying it.
