UPCA and infighting have hurt us: Uttarakhand body secretary Divya Nautiyal

Nautiyal groused that the UPCA gets several crores as grants from the board, but allocates a meagre sum to the Dehradun District Cricket Association.

Uttarakhand Cricket Association (UCA) secretary Divya Nautiyal has alleged that the feuding local cricket bodies and the “misguiding” Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) have imperilled their hopes of getting the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) affiliation, which means funds and other support from the mother body.

Resultantly, as many as 20 cricketers from the state are plying for other states and several of them had given up the sport because of the same reasons, pointed out Nautiyal. Strangely, the Dehradun District Cricket Association (DDCA) is listed as an affiliate of the UPCA, which also gives it Rs 5 lakh for training cricketers every year, he said. Nautiyal groused that the UPCA gets several crores as grants from the board, but allocates a meagre sum to the DDCA.

He alleged that the UP body, in the guise of training young cricketers of Uttarakhand, was poaching talented cricketers from the state. He also claimed that since 2014, the UPCA has been holding its working committee meetings in Dehradun when earlier the annual meets of the UPCA would happen in Kanpur.

Since 2009, they have been trying to unite the various factions of the UCA so that they can press for BCCI’s affiliation, he informed. In 2009, the members met Arun Jaitley, who was then BCCI’s vice-president, in Mumbai to push their case, but the stubbornness of the faction put paid to their aspirations. They made another attempt to unite them last month this year, but the “interference” of a few foiled the attempt, Nautiyal said.

He also alleged that not even the efforts of a two-member BCCI committee comprising former cricketer Anshuman Gaekwad and Prakash Dixit, formed last year, could salvage the situation. They organised a meeting with all cricket associations in Uttarakhand, but the “politics” of various factions jeopardised their prospects, he insisted.

Moving court
On November 22 this year, though, he approached the Supreme Court, based on which the apex court directed the BCCI to resolve the long-pending issue. While the next hearing is scheduled for January 12, the BCCI has not yet initiated action, he said. He also claimed that his team is equipped enough for the Ranji Trophy and was only waiting for the board’s nod. Cricket coaches Ashok Ghildiyal, Anil Dobhal, major general (retd) Digvijay Singh, Mahendra Kaushal, Shiv Painuly and other office bearers of UCA were also present in the press meet.