Overwhelming response for HCA league selections

HYDERABAD: Over the years the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) officials have turned a Nelson’s eye to the problems plaguing the leagues. One of the rampant corrupt practices in the league is the leasing out of teams to academies and individuals, who in turn charge the cricketers for the opportunity to play for the team.
The club secretaries, who had no interest in the day to day operations of the club, were more than happy in giving out the team for a handsome fee.The person, who took the team, would invariably try to make the most of it by taxing the players. Ultimately, it was the player who had to pay through his nose for the chance to play in the league. Despite knowing the problem, the administrators made no effort to curb it as some of the erstwhile officials had a vested interest in the continuation of the practice.
To do away it, secretary T Shesh Narayan had ‘outlawed’ the leasing of teams and taking money from cricketers to play for a team. Despite the threat of stringent action, the practice has continued albeit on the sly. To counter it, the HCA officials came up with a novel idea.
A new day dawned at the Gymkhana when around 300 youngsters turned up on the first day of the open selections for the 2-day league teams. Hordes of youngsters stormed to the ground in the hope of getting selected for a two-day team.
"The demand for a spot in a two-day team is very high and that’s the reason why these unscrupulous elements are trying to encash on it. The erstwhile administrators only paid lip service and made no effort to curb this menace. To ensure that talented youngsters are not deprived of a chance to play in the 2-day league, we are conducting open selections," Shesh Narayan told ToI here.
"This is a historical day as never before were selections held on such a scale for the league teams. The response is overwhelming and hence we have decided to continue with the selections for a week so that the players get enough opportunity," Shesh, who has completed 100 days in office as secretary, added.
Shesh also requested parents not to fall prey to agents and pay money for securing a place in league teams as the HCA was providing opportunity to all genuine players.
It is learnt that around 90 players will be shortlisted for six league teams. "Initially, we are looking at six teams but it all depends on the number of talented players that we are able to spot. If the number is more than we may upgrade some one-day teams to the two-day league. We want to ensure that the corruption in the league is completely eradicated," Shesh said.
What added authenticity to the entire process was the presence of the state selectors. "Such a thing has never been attempted in the HCA. Our aim is to give the youngsters as many opportunities as possible," Senior Selection Committee member Srinivas Chakravarthy, who overlooked all the arrangements along with Dubbaka Kishen Rao and curator YL Chandrasekhar, said.