T20 DPL draws ‘outsider’ cricketers back to Delhi fold

The T20 Delhi Premier League (DPL) is enticing several ‘outsider’ cricketers to seek a return to Delhi cricket. With the third edition of the DPL around the corner, even those who have not been playing under the aegis of the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) are eager now to become eligible for the auction on July 1. After all, the tournament not only offers them an opportunity to make money but also provides them with a platform to catch the eye of IPL scouts and franchises.

According to the DDCA, more than 10 players who left Delhi to play for other states or took up employment outside the association’s jurisdiction have approached it seeking permission to participate in the DPL or represent Delhi in national competitions.

The DPL pull

Four prominent players have also sought permission to register for the DPL auction. They are: Pratika Rawal (a top-order batter and a member of the Indian squad that won the women’s World Cup last year), Mayank Dagar, who never played for Delhi at any level, Lalit Yadav, and Kulwant Khejroliya.

Khejroliya has reportedly obtained a No Objection Certificate (NoC) from the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association and now wants to return to the DDCA fold, while Rawal and Yadav are keen to participate only in the DPL, to be played from July 31 to August 30.

Rawal began representing Railways from the 2024-25 season after securing employment with the organisation, having previously played for Delhi.

“Interestingly, she has not obtained an NoC from the Railways as she only wants to play in the women’s DPL as she was born in Delhi. In her letter addressed to the DDCA, she has argued that she should be allowed to participate in the DPL because she played all her cricket in Delhi and represents Railways only by virtue of her employment with them,” a source told Patriot.

Delhi-born Dagar, who studied in a Himachal Pradesh school and played all his cricket for that state, now wants to turn out for Delhi. Dagar, 29, played for India in the 2016 Under-19 World Cup. He represented Telefunkin Club in local tournaments in Delhi but turned out for Himachal Pradesh in professional cricket (including first-class cricket) between 2016-17 and 2025-26.

Some DDCA administrators have objected to Dagar’s bid to switch to Delhi.

Yadav, an off-spinning all-rounder, switched to Goa from Delhi last season and performed well with both bat and ball, scoring 512 runs and taking 17 wickets.

Khejroliya, a left-arm fast bowler born in Rajasthan, represented Delhi for three seasons (2017-18 to 2019-20) in first-class cricket before moving to Madhya Pradesh (2023-24 to 2024-25). He now wants to return to the DDCA fold again. At 34, however, his age could count against him.

It remains to be seen how the DDCA responds to these applications. As Rohan Jaitley is abroad, a decision is not likely to be taken in his absence.

The last date for state associations to register their players with the BCCI is September 30.

A divided DDCA

The apex council of the DDCA seems divided over accommodating the requests of these players.

Those opposed to the requests cite the one-year cooling-off rule of the DDCA. “All those who want to return must serve this mandatory cooling-off period,” said a member of the apex council.

Another issue that seems to have confused some people is whether obtaining an NoC from the BCCI automatically makes a player eligible to play in the DPL.

“BCCI rules don’t apply in the DDCA. The BCCI’s permission to play for another state association in the same season is for its own tournaments, not for the DPL, which is DDCA’s own league and must be governed by DDCA’s own rules,” said a DDCA veteran. “The cooling-off period must apply to all, without exceptions. Otherwise, we would be setting a wrong precedent.”

Sarandeep Singh in CAC

Meanwhile, little attention seems to be paid to preparations for the 2026-27 domestic season, which is set to begin with the Duleep Trophy on August 23 in Bangalore. Several state cricket associations – such as Mumbai, Bengal and Tamil Nadu – have already announced selection panels, coaches and support staff for the upcoming season.

The DDCA has constituted the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), which recommends names of people to be appointed selectors, coaches and the other support staff.

“The CAC for the 2026-27 cricket season comprises Sarandeep Singh (chairperson), Robin Singh (junior), and Anjali Sharma. But, at the moment, our focus is on the DPL. The coaches and support staff would be appointed later, primarily through online interviews,” DDCA secretary Ashok Sharma told Patriot.

The most conspicuous sentence in the CAC-appointing “order”, signed by Rohan Jaitley, stated: “The committee is expected to maintain the highest standards of transparency in each aspect.”

Former India spinner Sarandeep has been accommodated in the CAC despite having overseen indifferent performances as head coach of the senior Delhi teams in the last two seasons.

Delhi has failed to progress beyond the first round for seven straight years in the Ranji Trophy, and on two occasions in the last five seasons, failed to win a single match. Last season, Delhi played seven matches, finished seventh in their eight-team group, and crashed out.

The last of Delhi’s seven Ranji Trophy titles came 18 years ago, in 2007-08. The team has not reached the final for eight years, since 2017-18.