Arun Jaitley Stadium
The DDCA posted the advertisement on its website on July 14, a month and eight days after constituting a three-member CAC. The CAC announcement has remained under wraps, as it is still not available on the DDCA website despite being signed by president Rohan Jaitley on June 6 before he left on vacation.
The deadline for applications was July 20. Sourcesestimated that more than 100 people had applied.
Change at the top
One of the most closely watched appointments this season will be that of the men’s head coach. Sarandeep Singh, who held the position for the past two seasons, has been appointed chairperson of the CAC. Anjali Sharma has been retained on the committee, while former Test pacer Robin Singh (junior) joins as its third member.
Under Sarandeep, Delhi’s men’s team failed to win a title in the 2024-25 and 2025-26 domestic seasons. He, however, continues as head coach of the Delhi Premier League T20 franchise South Delhi Superstarz, prompting some to raise questions about a potential conflict of interest.
The eligibility criteria
“For the post of selector and coach, the candidates must have represented Delhi in any format of the game of cricket,” states the principal eligibility condition in this year’s advertisement. Last year’s corresponding clause was less specific: “Preference will be given to the candidates belonging from Delhi (sic).”
However, questions remain. Senior DDCA members say players who represented Delhi at junior level before moving to another state could also be eligible, though the advertisement is silent on the issue.
The DDCA says the new eligibility condition will be implemented in line with existing regulations.“We want to appoint the best people who meet the Lodha Committee’s recommendations and the National Sports Governance Act (NSGA), 2025, which we have to implement going forward. We also want people who have represented Delhi. If someone played junior cricket for Delhi before moving to another state, we would first consider the state from which the candidate retired. Ultimately, such cases will be decided by the DDCA management,” DDCA secretary Ashok Sharma told Patriot.
A section of DDCA members has long opposed the appointment of “outsiders” to key coaching and support staff positions in the men’s and women’s teams. This season, they appear to have succeeded in getting the eligibility criterion changed.
Last season, the appointment of Yashpal Singh, a former Services batsman who had played junior cricket for Delhi, as a senior selector drew strong opposition. The protests were such that the DDCA management did not announce the chairman of the senior men’s selection committee throughout the season, apparently to avoid antagonising any party of the coalition that fought and won the election.
The change in eligibility criteria appears to be the result of the sustained pressure witnessed last season.
Some also link the change to the DDCA elections, which are ordinarily held during the annual general meeting in December. This time, elections for six apex council posts are likely to be held, though the Supreme Court, hearing a related case, will have the final say.
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