After winning the Plate Group, the Hyderabad cricket team has returned to the Ranji Trophy’s Elite pitch. If this wasn’t fantastic enough, what the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA)’s top official announced would be the cherry on top for the team. If the team wins the Ranji Trophy during the next three years, it will receive one crore rupees and a BMW automobile for each cricketer.
To put things into perspective, here’s a recap. More than a year ago, Hyderabad lost its sixth consecutive defeat in an Elite Group B Ranji Trophy encounter at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Uppal. The crushing defeat and awful performance – six losses in seven matches with a single point — resulted in them finishing last in the points table and being relegated to Plate Group.
The squad had previously been relegated in the 2009-10 and 2022-23 seasons, but the most recent failure appeared to be due to disarray at the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA). Allegations of corruption were widespread, prompting the Supreme Court to appoint an administrator to run the show. Given the situation, the newly-elected body led by Arishnapally Jagan Mohan Rao prioritised resolving on-field difficulties and ensuring the team’s return to the Elite Group.
The first goal was met on Tuesday, when Tilak Varma’s side defeated Meghalaya by 5 wickets in the Plate Group final, earning promotion to the Elite Group for the following season – ironically, at the same stadium where they face relegation. The result was as expected, given that the other five teams in the group — Nagaland, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, and Mizoram — are considered minnows and are progressively ascending through the ranks.
But it didn’t matter because incumbent chief Jagan Mohan, who was clearly thrilled with the team’s promotion, declared the jackpot. “The announcement was intended to motivate the players and other stakeholders. Achieving the aim next year is realistically impossible, therefore I gave them three seasons,” Jagan Mohan, who took over the job in October of last year, told this daily.
Notably, Hyderabad has won the coveted title twice — in 1937-38 and 1986-87 — but competing against the 32 finest teams and winning the crown will be a difficult challenge. Jagan Mohan is also aware of this situation, which is why he wants to overhaul the HCA’s cricketing structure.
