DDCA conundrum: Bhatia, Awana not qualified to be selectors

The Supreme Court order on new BCCI constitution has put the DDCA in a fix as two of its newly-appointed selectors -- Rajat Bhatia and Parvinder Awana -- do not qualify to hold the post as per stipulated norms.

The Delhi & Districts Cricket Association's Cricket Committee comprising Virender Sehwag, Aakash Chopra, Rahul Sanghvi and Gautam Gambhir zeroed in on Bhatia for the senior committee, while Awana is a part of the junior panel.

While former pacer Awana, who had played two T20 Internationals in 2012, announced his retirement from competitive cricket last month, Bhatia is yet to call it quits.

The state association's constitution is supposed to be a mirror image of the parent body's constitution. The apex court order states that a player can only be eligible to become a national selector "if he has retired from the game at least five years previously".

As per the new diktat, DDCA won't be able to issue appointment letters to Bhatia and Awana as it will not be in conformity with the rules.

Bhatia admitted that he has not announced his retirement having played in the Dhaka League as recently as February. Awana had played his last match in December 2016, making him ineligible.

"I had intimated that once I sign the contract, I will announce my retirement from competitive cricket. My letter is ready but I need to get my contract first. As far as SC order is concerned, I am not aware about the stipulations. I expect DDCA to tell me if there's an issue with my appointment," Bhatia told PTI today.

He expects that the state association will intimate him sooner than later.

"Look the season will start next month and there shouldn't be a situation where players don't get time to mentally prepare as the teams are announced late," Bhatia said.

A senior DDCA official said that ultimately both Bhatia and Awana will have to go but they can certainly buy time as it will take some time before the BCCI and, subsequently the states, formally adopts the new constitution.

"Yes, it is a problem. Rajat and Awana in the long run won't be able to continue. But the final decision will rest with DDCA president Rajat Sharma. He is expected to consult with his legal team before taking a decision. But we have some time before BCCI adopts the constitution," the DDCA official said.