The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) has asked 556 Under-16 players to report for selection trials for the upcoming Vijay Merchant trophy. The reason for this unprecedented number of cricketers being asked to attend the trails is because the Under-16 league of the DDCA, performances in which are given weightage, was not completed this season as the association was short of funds. “Usually, we invited around 200 cricketers for trials at DDCA. But this year we had no option but to call over 500 because all the league matches could not be completed due to lack of funds. The DDCA did not have money to book or pay grounds hence only a few matches were held,” Anil Jain, honorary joint secretary (sports) DDCA, said. With DDCA’s accounts frozen and the BCCI not releasing subvention money because the association’s balance sheet has not been submitted, the coffers are running dry. The five-member Under-16 selection panel headed by Kamal Tawar will not have an easy task when it comes to selection. The 556 players have been divided into eight batches and trials will begin on November 6. [related-post] Under-16 convenor Dinesh Sharma said the intention of having a huge pool for trials was to ensure that no cricketer missed out on a chance to be picked. “There is nothing wrong in calling over 500 players. The league matches stopped early so we didn’t want to miss out on any player. Calling so many players only increases the pool to choose from,” Sharma said. The convenor said it was up to the selectors to decide how many cricketers to shortlist. “If you see the list, we are inviting them in batches. It will allow the selectors to observe each batch carefully,” Sharma says. With no yardstick to go by, selectors will also go by the U-14 performances from previous seasons. “We will consider those who have played for Delhi at the U-14 level. That will help in shortlisting players,” Sharma said.
