NEW DELHI: The start to the Ranji Trophy season has been nothing short of disastrous for Delhi. Four matches, seven points, and sixth place (among eight teams) on the Group D points table means they now need to win all their remaining fixtures to have any chance of qualifying for the knockouts.Call it a lackadaisical attitude on the part of the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) bosses, who are engrossed in fighting internal battles, or lack of match preparedness — Delhi team has ultimately suffered.
DDCA, in fact, continued with coach Sarandeep Singh from the previous season, but the teams were picked on the basis of rushed trials, and there were no preparatory camps either. Surprisingly, some Ranji Trophy selections were done on the basis of performances in the Delhi Premier League – a T20 league. The side didn’t play a single multi-day fixture before the season opener whereas other teams participated in quality multi-day tournaments to get the preparations right.Cohesion and team bonding were expected to be major problems, and that has been evident in the four matches. DDCA secretary Ashok Kumar Sharma agreed that the team failed to click as a unit.“There was individual brilliance. Sanat (Sangwan) and Ayush (Doseja) have done well with the bat. As a team, we are not doing well, which is a concern,” Sharma tells TimesofIndia.com.TimesofIndia.com also reached to joint secretary Amit Grover, who also sits in the selection meetings, but he didn’t respond.After the humiliating loss, no one from the Delhi dressing room spoke to the media but the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), chaired by Vijay Dahiya, had a meeting with the High Performance Group coaches to address the way forward. Only routine discussions followed as most in the DDCA corridors agree that a complete overhaul is the need of the hour.
New Delhi: Delhi’s Simarjeet Singh reacts after taking a wicket during the first day of the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 cricket match between Delhi and Jammu & Kashmir, at Arun Jaitley Stadium, in New Delhi. (PTI Photo/Karma Bhutia)(PTI11_08_2025_000323A)
“You can do as many meetings as you want, but you need to create an environment for cricket. Coach Sarandeep got an extension even after questionable tactics in last season where Delhi failed to get the Playing XI right in most games and had some timid calls at the toss. Even this season, the selectors give the players he demands but results are not there. Sarandeep comes into meetings with some data supporting his argument,” said a senior DDCA official.Coach Sarandeep is facing ire, as a DDCA insider tells TimesofIndia.com that the coach mostly talks about past glory in the team meetings and how he used to bag wickets on flat pitches across the country instead of charting a foolproof plan for the opposition.
Selector leaves for private league
In recent years, DDCA has made headlines more for off-field controversies than on-field performances. TimesofIndia.com has learnt that selector Manu Nayar hasn’t been around and has travelled to participate in a private league in the US.
Coach Sarandeep got an extension even after questionable tactics in last season where Delhi failed to get the Playing XI right in most games and had some timid calls at the toss
A DDCA official
The irony is that last week, DDCA sacked its chairman of the junior selection committee, Ashu Dani, for his involvement in the tainted Indian Heaven Premier League (IHPL) played in Jammu & Kashmir. Surinder Khanna, member of the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) was also shown the door and was replaced by Robin Singh Jr.In a circular, DDCA issued a stern reminder to all stakeholders to steer clear of unapproved or unauthorised cricket events but even after the strong message, Nayar, along with Manan Sharma and Gautam Vadhera – also holding positions in support staff for the season, went ahead to participate in the league.It wasn’t the only drama to unfold this season. A major controversy erupted during the selection committee meeting to pick probables for the Under-23 and Ranji Trophy teams, as secretary Ashok Sharma, also the convenor, objected to the presence of three directors. In a letter to DDCA president Rohan Jaitley, Sharma urged that selection committee meetings be held to ensure transparency, fairness, and integrity in the selection process.
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The letter read: “The recent selection process has raised serious concerns about the functioning of the DDCA selection committee. Contrary to established practices and BCCI guidelines, the Apex Council members have overstepped their roles, undermining the autonomy and credibility of the selection committee. We urge you to revisit the selection process and ensure that it adheres to the norms and best practices followed by the BCCI.Today, a few directors also attended the meeting, which raises concerns about potential bias and undue influence. Notably, one of the directors’ presence seems particularly pertinent given that a family member is a candidate for selection.Interestingly, son of one of the directors, who was present in the meeting, went on to play for U-23 side in the CK Nayudu Trophy and had a very underwhelming show with the ball. Delhi U-23 had a disastrous campaign as they are currently bottom of their group.There weren’t any learnings from the multi-day outings as the DDCA picked another jumbo squad, flight tickets of which TimesofIndia.com has seen, for the U-23 State A trophy. Surprisingly, no official announcement of the squad has been made yet and the players are believed to be informed by the managers via phone calls and in a Whatsapp group. With so much happening off the field, and not much on the field, Delhi is not the powerhouse it used to be in the domestic circuit. The onus is now on the cricket body led by Rohan Jaitley to restore order.
