HCA Damaged State Team’s Winning Prospects, Says HCAE Director
Hyderabad Cricket Association's abrupt decision to replace the coaching and support staff after winning the 2024 Buchi Babu Tournament has sparked criticism for undermining the team’s success
Hyderabad: A letter written by Vijay Mohan Raj, the director of the Hyderabad Cricket Association of Excellence (HCAE), addressed to HCA president Jagan Mohan Rao and other office bearers — now in possession of Deccan Chronicle — highlights how the association mistreated the Hyderabad cricket team, which had won the prestigious Buchi Babu Tournament in 2024 after a gap of seven years, by abruptly replacing the coaching and support staff immediately after their victory.
The HCA brought in new personnel from outside the state at significant expense, without offering clear reasons for the move to replace the victorious support team.
“The Apex Council of HCA, in their wisdom, appointed a consultant who began dismantling the human resources developed over the past year and introduced a new coach and support staff at enormous cost,” the director stated in his strongly worded letter to the HCA.
This decision drew widespread criticism, as it broke the common practice of retaining a winning team's support staff to maintain continuity and confidence. It was also alleged that the move was aimed at benefiting private cricket coaching academies by undermining the HCAE.
The demotion of Abhijit Chatterjee as assistant coach of the Under-23 team, despite achieving positive results, disrupted the team’s momentum and confidence, contributing to poor performances in the subsequent Ranji Trophy season. The newly appointed coaching staff had little time to acclimatise or understand the team’s strengths and weaknesses, further compounding the decline.