CAL makes ID cards a must for players
LUCKNOW: Now, Aadhaar may no longer be required for the registration of players with the Cricket Association Lucknow, but a player without an official identity card would not be allowed to play in the association’s back league in the coming season, starting October 1.
The CAL has made the ID cards mandatory and has instructed its officials, including scorer/umpires to crosscheck the ID cards of all players before the toss in a match in all four divisions (A, B, C, and D).
The D division is being introduced for the first time and it includes all the new clubs as well as those 16 teams, which had failed to make the knockout cut in the C division last season.
The decision is apparently an effort to deny cricketers from other small districts of the state participation in CAL-sponsored events. As per an estimate, over 800-1000 cricketers from Ballia, Azamgarh, Sitapur, etc., have enrolled themselves in different academies, depriving local cricketers a chance to participate.
“No play without an ID card this time. Most of the academies in the city are fielding outsiders in local league and it is hampering the prospects of our own cricketers,” CAL’s chief executive officer Ashok Bombi said on Wednesday.
The draws of leagues will be made on Thursday at the UP Badminton Academy at 4 pm and by the start of the annual cricketing season on October 1, the ID cards will be distributed among the players.
“So far, ID cards of 60-65 teams have been made and will be distributed within a day or two. The remaining clubs have not furnished the information of players properly. Still, we are trying to give them ID cards,” said Bombi.
He, however, claimed that B and C division leagues were worst affected with the fraud of fielding outstation cricketers in the local league.
“To accommodate all the players of academies in the league, we have allowed them to field two teams in a group. The registration
THE CAL HAS MADE THE ID CARDS MANDATORY AND HAS INSTRUCTED ITS OFFICIALS, INCLUDING SCORER/UMPIRES TO CROSSCHECK THE ID CARDS OF ALL PLAYERS BEFORE THE TOSS
IN A MATCH IN ALL FOUR DIVISIONS (A, B, C, AND D)
fee of players is Rs 100, whereas fee for club’s registration per year is Rs 1,500,” he added.
Bombi, a former central zone player, and his team did some fine job over the last three months, conducting 276 matches in B and C divisions, besides the under-14 tournament between April and June this year.
“This could be made possible only when everybody worked hard for the betterment of local cricket. I am hopeful that many more changes in Lucknow cricket would be made,” he said.
The daily allowance of UPCA’s qualified umpires and scorers have been raised to Rs 750 per day, a hike of Rs 100 from the last year, while the remaining 50-60 scorers/umpires are getting Rs 650 per match.
“There is no delay in payment of match officials in local cricket. It’s a monthly cycle and one gets money in one’s account directly. Everyone is happy,” he said.
CAL, which has 120 clubs including 105 active clubs, has so far registered 3,500 cricketers this season against a registration of 1,200 last year, and 500 are still waiting for registration.
Director of Abhijeet Sinha Cricket Academy Abhijeet Sinha, while hailing CAL’s policy of imposing a ban on outsiders in local league, confirmed that he was asked to pay Rs 10,000 additional for fielding the second team in different divisions.
“I have 300 players and I have to give exposure to them. I decided to field as many as five teams in the local league this season. I have got 150 cricketers registered this time,” he added.