Hyderabad: The Telangana Cricket Association (TCA) has stepped up its opposition to the Hyderabad Cricket Association’s (HCA) proposed expansion of cricket administration into Telangana districts, warning that any unilateral appointments, trials, infrastructure programmes or commercial arrangements undertaken before the legal and administrative issues are settled could amount to an attempt to create a “fait accompli” ahead of the crucial August 17 hearing before the BCCI Ethics Officer and Ombudsman.
TCA General Secretary Dharam Guruva Reddy alleged on Wednesday that the HCA was rushing to announce new initiatives and appointments even though questions concerning its jurisdiction, authority and administrative role outside Hyderabad remain under consideration before the appropriate judicial and cricket-administration forums.
The TCA’s warning comes ahead of a proposed HCA press conference and fresh announcements concerning cricket activities in Telangana districts.
“We are shocked that the HCA is rushing to announce new initiatives and appointments when the very questions surrounding its authority to undertake activities beyond Hyderabad are already before the appropriate judicial and administrative forums,” Guruva Reddy said.
He alleged that the timing of the proposed initiatives raised serious questions about whether the HCA was attempting to establish an administrative structure on the ground before the pending proceedings could determine the respective roles of the associations.
“This looks less like cricket development and more like an attempt to create a fait accompli before the August 17 hearing,” he said.
The TCA said the dispute should not be misconstrued as opposition to the development of cricket in Telangana’s districts. Instead, it maintained that the central issue was the constitutional and legal authority under which district cricket would be administered.
Guruva Reddy pointed to the Bombay High Court’s January 27, 2026 order in W.P. No. 3678 of 2023, which, according to the TCA, recorded a July 11, 2021 BCCI direction requiring the HCA to address concerns relating to cricket development outside Hyderabad. The court subsequently directed the HCA and TCA to undertake a renewed joint conciliation process and stipulated a time-bound mechanism for placing their respective positions on record.
Against this backdrop, the TCA questioned the wisdom and legality of the HCA proceeding independently with district-level administrative structures.
“If the matter is already part of a judicially and administratively supervised process, why is HCA acting first and seeking legitimacy later?” Guruva Reddy asked.
The TCA has identified nine areas of concern.
The first relates to what it described as the HCA’s unilateral expansion into Telangana districts. The association alleged that the HCA was attempting to establish an administrative footprint in districts without completing the collaborative process contemplated by the BCCI and subsequently addressed before the Bombay High Court.
“The issue is not whether cricket should be developed in the districts. TCA has always supported that objective. The issue is who has the authority to administer it and under what constitutional framework,” Guruva Reddy said.
The TCA has also raised questions over certain appointments within the HCA, including that of T. Sheshnarayan. The association alleged that the individual had previously faced disciplinary action and questioned his appointment to important positions.
It demanded that the HCA disclose the legal and constitutional basis for such appointments and clarify whether the appointee meets all applicable eligibility and conflict-of-interest requirements under the HCA and BCCI framework.
A related concern involves what TCA described as overlapping roles. It questioned the reported appointment of the same individual as an HCA spokesperson and subsequently to a district infrastructure-related position.
“If two appointments continue simultaneously on the HCA record, the association must explain how such overlapping responsibilities comply with its Constitution and conflict-of-interest provisions,” Guruva Reddy said.
“Cricket administration cannot function through informal appointments and verbal explanations,” he added.
The TCA further alleged that the latest HCA initiatives could have the effect of pre-empting the pending judicial and administrative process. It argued that once district committees are constituted, trials conducted, infrastructure commitments announced or commercial arrangements entered into, the HCA could subsequently portray those developments as established and difficult to reverse.
“Once committees are appointed, trials are conducted, infrastructure commitments are announced, and commercial arrangements are entered into, the HCA can attempt to present these developments as irreversible,” Guruva Reddy said.
“That is precisely why we are warning all stakeholders against participating in any such exercise until the legal position is settled,” he added.
The TCA has particularly cautioned against unilateral district trials, stressing that young cricketers should not be caught in an institutional dispute between competing organisations.
According to the association, district-level selection must be transparent, merit-based and conducted within a clearly defined administrative framework.
“District cricketers must not become collateral damage in an institutional turf war. Every youngster deserves a transparent, merit-based opportunity irrespective of where he or she comes from,” Guruva Reddy said.
The TCA also invoked the broader principles of the Lodha reforms and the Supreme Court-backed framework governing cricket administration in India. It said transparency, accountability, eligibility requirements and institutional discipline could not be selectively applied.
“Constitutions are not decorative documents to be invoked when convenient and ignored when inconvenient. Every appointment, committee, financial commitment and administrative decision must withstand constitutional scrutiny,” Guruva Reddy said.
Another issue flagged by the TCA concerns oversight and accountability within the HCA. The association questioned the status of the HCA’s internal accountability mechanisms and called for clarity regarding its Ombudsman and Ethics Officer arrangements.
The TCA said independent grievance-redressal and accountability mechanisms were fundamental to maintaining public confidence in cricket administration, particularly when competing claims regarding authority and governance were already before regulatory and judicial forums.
The association reiterated that it was not opposed to taking cricket to every district of Telangana. On the contrary, it said the expansion of grassroots cricket was essential but should be undertaken through a transparent and accountable structure.
“Telangana’s young cricketers should not be used as pawns in an institutional battle. They need proper grounds, competent coaching, transparent trials and genuine opportunities—not competing power centres claiming authority over them,” Guruva Reddy said.
The TCA said it was compiling documents relating to appointments, notifications, communications and other administrative decisions and would place the relevant material before the BCCI Ethics Officer and Ombudsman in connection with the August 17 proceedings.
It also warned that any district-level committee, appointment, memorandum of understanding, infrastructure agreement, trial or commercial arrangement undertaken without proper authority would be examined and, if necessary, challenged before the appropriate judicial and regulatory forums.
“We are giving this warning in the interest of cricket and, above all, in the interest of thousands of district cricketers. Nobody should mistake patience for helplessness,” Guruva Reddy said.
He maintained that the TCA would use every lawful remedy available to protect what it described as the constitutional rights and interests of district cricket.
The association also appealed to district players, parents, clubs, academies and cricket administrators to exercise caution before associating themselves with newly announced HCA district initiatives until their legal and administrative status was clearly established.
The TCA maintained that the immediate controversy was ultimately bigger than a dispute between two cricket bodies. It argued that the manner in which district cricket is administered would directly affect thousands of aspiring players who depend on transparent trials, legitimate selection systems, adequate infrastructure and accountable cricket institutions.
“Cricket belongs to the players and the public—not to individuals seeking to build private fiefdoms. The TCA will continue to fight for a transparent, accountable and genuinely merit-based cricket structure across Telangana,” Guruva Reddy said.
