The Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) is considering whether to keep out players from Railways who featured in the fourth UPT20 league season which completed its fourth edition on Sunday, secretary Prem Manohar Gupta said on Wednesday. The state unit may also ask the six franchises to avoid hiring support staff from outside the state.
This is due to concerns that opportunities for talent within the state is reduced in a league which is seen as a pathway for UP cricketers, they said.
However, UPCA may have a delicate job to do if it decides to make the franchise T20 league exclusive to the state’s cricketers. A number of UP cricketers do leave the state to build their cricket careers in other states, especially Bengal. He, however, didn’t clarify as to why the under-19 and under-16 cricketers were allowed to appear in this year’s trials of the UPT20 League and a subsequent ban on their participation in the event, but said that hardly there are any white ball events in domestic cricket for age group cricketers.
The official said UPT20 was conceived mainly as a feeder system with its best performers expected to transition to UP’s senior squads. “With BCCI switching the men’s U-23 State A Trophy into a T20 tournament, the stakes for local players have only risen, making every UPT20 team slot more valuable,” he said. “We can think of no-participation of age group cricketers in the UPT20 League, but right now it would be too early to say anything on this,” he added.
But we will discuss this issue at the upcoming AGM on September 30 in Kanpur,” UPCA secretary, Prem Manohar Gupta, said on Wednesday. Sharma said he would play one last game on August 25 before stepping away. The franchise had invested heavily in Sharma at the auction—reports indicate he was bought for ₹ 23 lakh, and that would have made him the tournament’s most expensive player for the second straight season.
The issue came into focus after former India and IPL leg-spinner Karn Sharma, a Railways player representing Kanpur Superstars, announced retirement from all formats midway through the just-ended UPT20 season. “There are concerns over the participation of Railways cricketers in the UPT20 League as well as the support staff with the teams from outstation. His decision to leave midway dealt the franchise a financial and competitive setback, intensifying the debate about the role of high-profile players who don’t otherwise turn out for UP in a league meant to nurture talent in the state.
