Published: April 20, 2026 at 5:54 pm
Former Test cricketer and Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) president Arshad Ayub and former secretaries K John Manoj and T Shesh Narayan urged the newly elected secretary M Jeevan Reddy to call for the Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the earliest so that the ‘broken system’ can be restored.
Under the banner of Cricket First, the former office-bearers on Monday said ‘cricket has become last for the administrators as everything else, but cricket is getting priority in the last two years. “The HCA administration is meant primary for cricket but that is getting the least priority. It is painful to see that norms are being thrown to the wind at the whims and fancies of the administrators and in the process, cricket is suffering. The last 5-7 years has become a nightmare of cricket,” said Ayub.
“The HCA is governed by a set of byelaws which have been approved by the Supreme Court and is a mirror image of the BCCI constitution. Violating the byelaws is a violation of the Supreme Court orders. But the administrators are least bothered about following the norms laid down by the byelaws,” he added.
League without selectors is foolhardy: Ayub
Ayub said it was foolhardy to start the new league season with the T20 matches without the appointment of the selectors. “How can one start the season without the selectors? Do the selectors need to watch the matches or not? How will selections for the state teams be done if there are no selectors to watch the games? One can’t put the cart ahead of the oxen. There are procedures and a system to follow. Unfortunately, the system has been severely damaged for the last two years. Even last year the selectors were appointed after the league started,” added Ayub.
The former Test off spinner also added that the norms for appointing selectors were not followed last year. “The HCA constitution has clearly laid down the norms for appointing the selectors and other standing committees. All appointments have to be done at the AGM. These norms have not been followed and our plea to the Apex Council is to call for an AGM at the earliest and make the appointments. We are not against anyone. Our only aim is that the HCA constitution is followed to the letter. We cannot pick and choose what to follow and what not to follow,” he said.
Why start leagues in peak summer?
Ayub was also critical about starting the league season during peak summer. “There is a red alert in the state and is it wise to start the league season in such extreme weather conditions. The norm was always to start the league season at the end of May or mostly in the first week of June when the weather conditions are better for the players. Yesterday two players were affected by the extreme heat. Who will be responsible if the players suffer? For the sake of one’s convenience we cannot change the proven and tested system,” he said.
Former Test cricketer Arshad Ayub (second from right), former Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) secretaries T Shesh Narayan (second from left) and K John Manoj (extreme right) and former HCA treasurer P Yadagiri (extreme left) address the media at the Fateh Maidan Club in Hyderabad on Monday
“Tamil Nadu have gone back from three-day games to four-day games because they have not been doing well in Ranji Trophy. But in Hyderabad, we are going from three-day matches to two-day matches. I am not sure whose idea it is, but it is not going to help the state teams. It is a regressive idea especially since our teams are not doing well in the longer format of the game,” Ayub added.
Ayub also said there was no point in conducting league matches for namesake. “What is the point in conducting matches if there are no tangible results? In 2016 we conducted more than 5000 matches but now the administrators are struggling to conduct 1000 matches. It can be done but one needs to know the basics of organizing matches. Lack of experience is the reason for the inability of the present administration to conduct matches in a meaningful manner,” he said.
“My plea to the administrators is to follow the norms so that all are on the same page. There is a lot of confusion in the HCA nowadays as to accountability. This has to be removed,” he added.
Norms flouted for TG20 too
Regarding the Governing Council of the TG20, Ayub said the members have to be appointed at the AGM. “Even this norm has not been followed. Anyone cannot be appointed to the Governing Council. At least two members have to be elected by the general body,” he said.
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“The TG20 is not a financially viable project. Most state associations have incurred losses in trying to set up their own T20 league. So, why is the HCA going for a TG20 now? What were they doing all these years? And instead of using inhouse expertise, why are the administrators appointing outside consultants for the conduct of the league,” said Shesh Narayan.
Clubs are HCA stakeholders, says Shesh
The former secretary also said the clubs, who are the stakeholders in the HCA, should be given the development fund. “Cricket is no longer a simple game. The expenses for running a team have gone up and, therefore, the development fund should be released for the clubs,” he said.
“The club secretaries are not being given vehicle passes for the IPL matches this year. This is not the way to treat the stakeholders of the game. The clubs provide players for the state teams and, therefore, they are a very important cog of the wheel. Even the media personnel have been at the receiving end when it comes getting vehicle passes. Our appeal to Jeevan Reddy is to ensure that such things do not happen under his nose,” Shesh Narayan said.
He also said the Supreme Court had approved the expansion of the Apex Council but, unfortunately, it has not been done by the HCA. “My plea to Jeevan Reddy is to take up the matter at the AGM urgently and increase the number of members in the Apex Council so that we can have a more meaningful body to debate and decide on issues,” he said.
System has been damaged: John Manoj
John Manoj said the system has been damaged and it is high time to rectify things before it becomes irreparable. “There are so many experienced people in the HCA whose expertise can be utilized in the proper conduct of the league matches. Our appeal to the secretary is to make sure that the proper people are in the advisory roles,” he said.
“We have so many international and first-class cricketers whose services can be availed. And they are not asking for any honorarium. They would be glad to help in streamlining the system so that cricket does not suffer any more,” said Shesh Narayan.
