Hyderabad: The National Schools Cricket Promotion Council, a unit of School Sports Promotion Foundation, has appointed former Hyderabad cricketer Sunil Babu Kolanpaka as the SSPF Cricket Council member of South India and Telangana State coordinator for the conduct of the 2018-19 Schools India Cup.
Sunil will work alongside former India cricketer Chetan Sharma, who is chairman of the National Schools Cricket Promotion Council.
The three-tier championship will be conducted at the district, state and national levels under the National Talent Search & Nurture programme, which is a joint initiative of the SSPF and the Sports Authority of India.
The SSPF, in collaboration with SAI and support of the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports and Ministry of Human Resources Development had launched the National Talent Search & Nurture programme to promote future champions in schools Pan-India through structured tournaments.
The Schools India Cup is targeting at least 10,000 schools across the country, involving young sportspersons in five disciplines — cricket, football, athletics, volleyball and basketball.
Sunil conducts the Telangana Schools Premier League across the State annually — under the mentorship of former Indian captain Dilip Vengsarkar — and is a claimant for the rural cricket affiliation in the State through the Cricket Association of Telangana, of which he is founder secretary.
Back channel deliberations are on with officials and power centres of the Hyderabad Cricket Association as well as those in the Board of Control for Cricket in India to secure recognition for CAT, which also has the backing of the high and mighty in the State government, it is reliably learnt.
