Hyderabad end Ranji Trophy season with Zero wins 

The shabby show meant that the team has been relegated to the plate division, vying among minnows from the next season

Hyderabad: Seven matches. Zero wins. Six losses.One point. This sums up the Hyderabad Ranji Trophy season that concluded its group stage on Friday. It was indeed an embarrassing performance from the city that produced stalwarts of Indian cricket like ML Jaisimha and VVS Laxman.

The shabby show meant that the team has been relegated to the Plate division,vying among minnows from the next season. The poor show was a result of management’s lack of vision coupled with alleged corruption in the Hyderabad Cricket Association. Former players and a few club secretaries alleged that the spots in the teams were up for sale, hence the poor performance.

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In a first, a total of 28 players have been tried in the season while 13 players made their debut. Barring captain Tanmay Agarwal and K Rohit Rayudu, none of them featured in all matches of the season.The team’s combination was changed constantly irrespective of the performances. The performances of Tanmay (562 runs), Rohit Rayudu (575) and Kartikeya Kak (24 wickets) were the only ones worth mentioning.

Hyderabad last played in the Plate division in the season 2010-11 when their poor show in 2009-10 demoted them. The two-time champions also finished a lowly 25th in the season 2015-16 and were placed in Group C. Even in the 2019-20 Ranji season, they faced the humiliation of demotion but a good show in 2021, put them back in the elite group.

This season’s performance is one of the worst in the history of Hyderabad cricket, said a few former cricketers. Hyderabad’s Ranji Trophy winning team captain from 1987 season MV NarasimhaRao rued that the cricket in the city has nosedived.

“It is a shame that Hyderabad cricket has come to this stage. There is no doubt that there is immense talent. But there is no proper structure or league system. We need to work together to revive the game. Everyone has to come together,” he said after Hyderabad’s sixth loss on Friday.

“We are the founding members of the BCCI and have always been on the top in terms of performances. It is a shame that we have been relegated to the Plate division. Having seen the golden days of Hyderabad cricket, it is painful to see such performances,” he added.

A few club secretaries hit out at the association members and president Mohammed Azharuddin alleging corruption in team selection. “Team spots are being sold like goods in the market. This performance is the result of selling slots in the team. What do you expect when you sell the team places?” questioned a club secretary.