DDCA to select teams based on trials without selectors

In a bizarre scenario, Delhi cricket teams – at least for the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy and the under-19 Vinoo Mankad Trophy, if not other tournaments – will be selected purely based on cold statistics.

A women’s T20 tournament, billed as a selection trial, was played in June, and a 50-over competition for boys is scheduled to finish on September 25. But, surprisingly, no selector was present at either tournament to watch the players’ performances, as the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) has yet to appoint selection committees.

The 2025-26 domestic season began on August 28, but the DDCA has been in deep slumber and, as of September 23, had not appointed the selection committees and coaches/support staff for various Delhi teams. DDCA insiders allege this is a well-devised strategy by the powers-that-be to eventually pick their “yes men” for these posts.

Delhi is scheduled to open its season’s campaign in the Senior Women’s T20 on October 8, against Railways in an Elite group match in Raipur, Chhattisgarh. A day later, the under-19 boys start with a match against Assam in the 50-over Vinoo Mankad Trophy in Ranchi. The Delhi team is scheduled to leave on October 6, and their air tickets have already been booked, say DDCA sources.

DDCA in deep slumber

In the absence of selectors, around 150 top-performing boys would be shortlisted for the senior T20 team and boys’ under-19 side. “The selectors, when appointed, would go through the statistics of the top run scorers and wicket takers collected on a mobile application and choose the squad,” said a DDCA source. No DDCA-appointed statistician, except scorers, are involved in recording these matches.

But no one, not even the competing clubs, is aware of the criteria that will be used for shortlisting players, admitted a club official whose team competed in both competitions. “The main issue is: who is taking note of players’ performance and under what match situations they have performed? And, of course, there are no selectors in place. Statistics alone can’t be the lone criterion for selection,” he told Patriot.

“DDCA has not told the clubs anything about the criteria for shortlisting players. My guess is that those who would score around 150 runs and take six or seven wickets would be shortlisted,” he said, adding that when the selectors are appointed, they will go solely by the statistics —terming it unfair to players.

Often, someone scores a 50 while another player hits a century with four ‘lives’. Such details don’t reflect in cold statistics. They don’t reveal the circumstances in which performances came about.

Another bizarre decision

Another logic-defying DDCA move was to use a red ball for the boys’ tournament, while the Vinoo Mankad Trophy will be played with two white balls. Naturally, the change of ball colour will impact players’ performance.

Shockingly, not one competing club is known to have asked the DDCA mandarins the reason behind this ill-conceived step. The coach of a prominent club said that since the DDCA doesn’t hold a trial tournament for multi-day matches, played with red ball, they might have opted for the red ball.

Eighty-four clubs were given three matches each in the boys’ category, while each of the 41 clubs got to play five matches with the white ball in the girls’ section, which was open for all ages.

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The DDCA could be the only state association that has still not appointed coaches and selectors. Almost everyone is pointing fingers at DDCA president Rohan Jaitley for the unjustifiable delay.

“He was holidaying overseas and because of his absence the Delhi Premier League T20 started late. We can now see its cascading effect on the appointment of selectors and coaches. Who cares about cricket in the DDCA?” fumes a senior DDCA member.