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) is once again in the news—this time over controversies surrounding the selection of state women’s cricket teams ahead of major upcoming tournaments. Allegations of opaque practices, arbitrary decision-making, and even hints of a “pay-to-play” culture have raised serious concerns about transparency and integrity in the process. One practice…
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…
MS Shanker Fresh controversy is brewing around the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA), with growing calls for the state High Court–appointed one-man committee, headed by Justice Naveen Rao, to represent the association in the upcoming BCCI Presidential polls on September 28. The proposal was put forth by former HCA Secretary Sheshnarayan, who has written to both…
Chairs, Cheats, and Bogus Bills In his report, Rao also unveiled EY audit exposes, which are nothing short of daylight robbery. If the fire-safety tender was a scam and the gym contract was a daylight robbery, the bucket chair saga is pure theatre — equal parts comedy and crime. Stadium seating, meant to host thousands…
MS Shanker Indian cricket is booming on television screens and in stadiums, but the same cannot be said of the governance behind it. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the most powerful and wealthiest cricketing body in the world, is tethered to state associations that are riddled with corruption, nepotism, and endless…
Judicial Oversight & Selective Cleansing MS Shanker When the rot in the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) became too deep for internal repair, the matter spilled into the courts. What followed was a series of judicial interventions — Ombudsmen, Supervisory Committees, and Single-Member Inquiries — each tasked with cleansing an association drowning in corruption. Yet, despite…
Cricket is the ultimate winner, says this week’s guest Ravinder Reddy MS Shanker After 22 episodes of exploring ways to rebuild Hyderabad cricket, it is heartening to finally see a glimmer of hope. The Hyderabad team has performed impressively in the ongoing Buchi Babu Tournament. That success, many believe, is no coincidence—it stems from selectors…
MS Shanker A Club Secretary’s Candid Take on Greed, Glory, and a Game in Decline Hyderabad cricket still evokes nostalgia for its glorious past — a time when its clubs brimmed with talent, its league rivalled the Ranji Trophy for intensity, and its players commanded respect across India. But somewhere between passion and politics, integrity…
MS Shanker As the CID probe into the Hyderabad Cricket Association’s (HCA) murky financial irregularities and IPL ticket scam deepens, fresh revelations have emerged about the questionable election of the current Joint Secretary, Basavaraju. Documents accessed by this digital paper show that Basavaraju contested and won the HCA election while simultaneously figuring in the records…
