The Story
If all goes according to a plan, Indian domestic cricket might see the revival of the DDCA League, as the cricket affairs committee of the Delhi & Districts Cricket Association (DDCA) has shown a keen interest in bringing back the stalled league.
The committee formed under the supervision of Justice (retd) Vikramjit Sen and led by former India all-rounder Madan Lal is at the forefront of the initiative and the League will most likely commence from October 1.
The last edition of the DDCA League was organized in 2014-15 but financial issues forced the competition to halt abruptly.
According to sources, the first match is expected to be played on October 2.
“We are going to inform the clubs by distributing the registration forms and expect them to submit as soon as possible,” a DDCA official, who didn’t wish to be named, confirmed.
Coaches welcome the decision
Coaches have been delighted with this positive development. They feel that the resumption of this league would ensure better opportunities for budding talents of Delhi.
“If the league starts, it will be great for Delhi cricket. There were no selection criteria in these two years and the kids were suffering due to that. Cricket will return to its competitive best and a healthy environment will take shape. It was very difficult to keep the kids motivated. We had to participate in a lot of tournaments outside which were not recognised by the DDCA. So it will be a welcome change,” said Tarak Sinha, coach of Sonnet club.
Surjit Verma, a coach at RP Academy, also backed the decision and stated that the league would be a perfect place to judge local talent and provide them further grooming.
“Whoever is starting the league is doing a positive thing. Politics will continue but don’t let it affect the league. It gives you a chance to judge the talent,” Verma said.
DDCA League An Important Structure
A former DDCA selector, who also owns a club said the lack of leagues made talent hunt very difficult and thus led to an inferior selection of teams.
“Although we could judge a cricketer by watching him bat at the nets it is still unfair to pick a DDCA cricketer like that. But with DDCA league starts, the kids will now learn to cope with the pressure and come out mature,” he said.
“I remember when Punjab won the Ranji Trophy in 1992, five players used to play for Mohan Meakins in the league. They became mentally strong and delivered in crucial games. Vikram Rathore, Bharti Vij, Krishan Mohan were a few names,” the former selector said.