HCA introduces new structure for institution teams from 2026-27 season

The Hyderabad Cricket Association has announced a revamped structure for institution teams from the 2026-27 season following a meeting chaired by Ambati Rayudu. The move aims to streamline competitions and create opportunities for over 600 Telangana players to progress to higher levels

Hyderabad: Ambati Rayudu, former India cricketer and now the Head of Cricket Operations (HCA), in the presence of Mr M Jeevan Reddy, Secretary of HCA, held a meeting with all owners and members representing institution teams in HCA.

The teams expressed their concerns, and the following are the decisions that emerged from the meeting for the season 2026-27 and beyond.

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Some crucial decisions were taken, which include that for the season 2026-27, all institution teams in HCA will play under a single division called A-Institutions, except for the institution teams that are currently playing in HCA’s A-Division, B-Division or C-Division in the season 2026-27. They will be placed directly in A-Institutions for the next season, 2027-28.

At the end of the current season 2026-27, rankings will be assigned to all institution teams playing in A-Institutions, based on their standings in the 2026-27 season. Based on these final rankings, institution teams will be divided into three divisions for the season 2027-28 – A-Institutions, B-Institutions and C-Institutions. The institution teams that are currently playing in HCA’s A-Division, B-Division or C-Division in the season 2026-27 will automatically be placed in A-Institutions for the season 2027-28.

The match formats for each institution division will be decided and communicated before the commencement of each league season, and the institution teams are free to field players from Telangana in their squads without any restrictions on age, employment or stipend.

Matches played under the institution divisions will be considered to be of the same importance as all other league matches for selection to the Super League and eventually for state cricket.

“This initiative will create a great platform for the youngsters of Telangana to participate in the HCA league system, enabled by the institutions. It is expected to make available a crop of over 600 new players from Telangana for Super League selection and eventually state selection,” according to a media release.