Delhi Premier League attracts Delhi players from elsewhere, stirs up controversy

New Delhi: As many as 469 male players, divided into four categories have entered fray for the Delhi Premier League (DPL) auction that is slated to take place on July 1.

There are 20 players in marquee section, which comprises international and IPL players; 35 players in category 2, which comprises senior state players (who have been part of teams in Ranji Trophy, Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 and Vijay Hazare Trophy); 128 players in category 3, which includes Delhi under-19 and under-23 players and 286 in category 4 which comprises performers in DDCA League.

All the 469 players will not remain on the list come the auction day. The list will be whittled down following retentions. Each team can retain nine players and can have an additional player (10th) using Right to Match (RTM) card.

The DDCA, however, has been caught in a tizzy.

Several players, born and raised in Delhi, who had left Delhi cricket setup have returned like last year to participate in league matches and be part of the DPL auction. Some of them have already participated in DDCA League and had to be stopped through warning to clubs. Rajnigandha went onto feature a Haryana player and they were warned that their points will be docked in case they continue playing him. Mayank Dagar too was stopped from featuring in the DDCA Hot Weather quarterfinal for Telefunken against Golden Hawks.

"The biggest concern for us is that several players have made themselves available after getting No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the associations they represent. Some of them like Dagar have done so just months ago and immediately jumped into playing the league. We had to stop them," said Ashok Sharma, the secretary of Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA).

To be fair to Dagar and some others, he is applying for the DPL auction under BCCI norms that allow players who haven't played professional league anywhere else in the country (under any other association) to play for their state of origin.

Elaborating the rules, Sharma stated, "The last date of filing for NOC is August 31. The BCCI approves it only on June 1. Even if you were to consider that some players who filed NOC only in January, busting deadlines, how could they start playing league even before June 1."

Several coaches have objected to this, saying that this policy is fundamentally flawed.

"A player, if they are born in Delhi, should have a right to play in DPL if they haven't competed in any other professional T20 league. If the BCCI has no objection, what is wrong with that," said one. "You can't deny any Delhiite the right to return to the league."

Pramod Jain, a longtime DDCA member, has written to the President of DDCA Rohan Jaitley, complaining about players coming from outside.

"Allowing 15–20 players to make a comeback without a cooling-off period undermines the spirit of Delhi cricket. DPL is a short tournament. Selection based on just a few matches cannot outweigh the year-long grind, discipline, and consistency shown by genuine Delhi players in our domestic system," wrote Jain.

"Removing the cooling-off period closes doors for young, local talent who toil day in, day out for DDCA. It risks turning merit into a shortcut. I join the request to our Hon’ble President to intervene. Fairness demands that consistent performers get priority, and the future of original Delhi cricketers stays protected."

The DPL Season 3 will run from July 31 to August 30. The number of women's matches are likely to be increased this season. The first two seasons saw only seven matches, with each of the four teams playing each other only once before the final. This time they are likely to play each other twice.

"The women don't get enough matches as some of them get washed out, so there is a likelihood of an increase in number of matches."

Participating teams (Men's)

• Central Delhi Kings• East Delhi Riders• New Delhi Tigers• North Delhi Strikers• Outer Delhi Warriors• Purani Dilli 6• South Delhi Superstarz• West Delhi Lions

Participating teams (Women’s)

• Central Delhi Kings Women• East Delhi Riders Women• North Delhi Strikers Women• South Delhi Superstarz Women

Tags : DPL, Delhi Premier League, Cricket, DDCA, Auction