Published: July 15, 2026 at 8:37 pm
In an unprecedented move, the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) officials, at the 11th hour, postponed the start of the A Division and B Division Two-day League, which was scheduled to commence on Wednesday (July 15, 2026).
It is learnt that the HCA had sent the members a terse message at 10.34 pm on Tuesday night.
“This is to inform you that the commencement of the A Division and B Division Two-Day League matches scheduled for tomorrow (July 15) has been postponed until further notice.
“We sincerely regret any inconvenience caused and greatly appreciate your cooperation, patience, and understanding in this regard,” says a release from the HCA, which was posted in the HCA group.
Stakeholders bemoan lack of transparency by HCA officials
“Is this the manner in which cricketers, clubs, umpires, scorers, and members should be treated? They deserve timely communication, transparency, and respect for the effort and planning they put into the game,” said a club secretary.
“Who is accountable for this last-minute decision? Is it the Apex Council, the Cricket Operations Committee (COC), or the CEO?” asked another member.
Who is responsible for the fiasco? Amarnath (second from right) is no longer the HCA president. With the COC, headed by AT Rayudu, washing its hands of the fiasco, will secretary M Jeevan Reddy take responsibility?
“I am no way connected with the conduct of the leagues,” said Imtiaz, CEO of the HCA. When pressed he said: “The secretary (Jeevan Reddy) or the COC can answer the issue as they are handling it.”
When asked if the Single Member Committee (SMC) justice (retd) P Naveen Rao was aware of the decision, Imtiaz was evasive. “Every decision is discussed with the SMC and decided upon. However, I am not aware of this particular decision,” he stated.
Attempts to reach HCA secretary M Jeevan Reddy proved futile.
“Unfortunately, as has happened on many occasions, the responsibility is likely to remain unanswered. Such decisions not only disrupt schedules but also undermine the confidence of everyone associated with Hyderabad cricket,” said a senior club secretary.
“The A & B Division league matches were scheduled to commence today after a delay of nearly one-and-a-half months. Players, clubs, ground authorities, umpires, and scorers had all completed their preparations and were looking forward to the start of the season.
“However, at 10:34 p.m. last night, members received an official SMS informing them that the league had been postponed. No reasons or explanation were provided,” said another club secretary.
COC distances itself from the decision
But the twist in the unsavory tale is that the Cricket Operations Committee (COC), headed by former India player AT Rayudu, immediately posted a message in the HCA group saying that it had nothing to do with the postponement.
“We are extremely disappointed to learn that the HCA A-Division and B-Division 2-Day League matches have been postponed. This decision was taken without any notice to us and without us being informed or consulted in advance. We came to know of this only after a message was posted in our WhatsApp group,” says the COC message.
We would like to clearly state that we were not involved in this decision, and it was taken without our knowledge, says a message by the HCA’s Cricket Operations Committee
“It is unfortunate, given the considerable effort that has gone in over the past several weeks to ensure the league starts on time, so that the season calendar shared earlier could be followed and the subsequent stages of matches such as Super League and the planning of specialised clinics and practice matches before the state matches, are not affected.
“We would like to sincerely apologize to all the players, match officials, ground staff, and everyone else involved who have put in their time and effort to make these matches happen, although there is no fault or involvement of ours,” the COC stated.
“We would like to clearly state that we were not involved in this decision and it was taken without our knowledge. We will do our best to fix this at the earliest,” it stated.
Who took the decision to postpone the league season?
If the COC, which is supposed to plan and execute the cricket aspect of the HCA, was not aware of the postponement, then who took the 11th hour decision?
Sources said that all the preparations were done for the start of the league season. “All the ground work had been done well in advance for the start of the season. The grounds were ready and also the officials needed to conduct the matches were prepared. Hence, this postponement has caught everyone by surprise
It is learnt that some clubs had sought postponement on the ground that the players were tired after a hectic TG20, which concluded on Sunday (July 12). Sources said that the TG20 officials too were in favour of the postponement of the league as they felt it was too narrow a gap for the players.
But what were these officials doing when the schedule was drawn up?
TG20 is a lame excuse, says a club secretary
“The TG20 final was on Sunday, and the players had two days of rest. Isn’t that sufficient? How can that be used as an excuse to postpone the league. Just for a few players, the officials can’t sacrifice the league schedule. With over a month already lost because of the TG20, there is hardly any time left to get the league going,” said a club secretary.
“The state teams have to be prepared for the BCCI matches. If the leagues are not held on time, it will disrupt the entire season’s schedule,” he said.
“Transparency and accountability have never been the HCA officials’ buzzword. Of late, decisions are being taken in a very haphazard manner without following proper channels. The Apex Council has been rendered defunct (for no fault of theirs and they are hardly consulted on any matter by the SMC) and the administration has fallen into hands of those who have ‘no’ or very ‘limited’ knowledge of cricket,” bemoaned a former office-bearer.
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