Senior cricketer brings favouritism allegations against Odisha Cricket Association

The Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) in Cuttack City is at the centre of controversy amid allegations of favouritism in its selection process. Senior player Suryakant Pradhan came forward on Thursday with serious accusations, stating that the selection committee tends to favour familiar faces over seasoned players.

Pradhan claims that, despite demonstrating talent and performance, certain deserving cricketers are being overlooked in favour of those who have personal connections with committee members. He specifically alleged that the chairman of the selection committee is prioritising players from his own club for positions in the Odisha team.

Also Read: BCCI bans Odisha cricketer for age fraud

In light of these accusations, Pradhan has urged the OCA secretary to examine these issues minutely. In response, Sujit Biswal, a member of the selection committee, replied to address these claims of senior cricketer Surya Pradhan.

“Why my name was not included? Those who have not scored any runs, how they get enlisted? Their names were added later because they belong to the selection committee chairman’s club,” Surya Pradhan alleged.

“Lobby is going on for selection. Recently, my team became champion in a T-20 tournament. Still, my name is not there in the selection list,” the senior cricketer rued.

Must Read: OTV Impact: Kendrapara admin hands over stadium to OCA to develop it into cricket hub

Reacting to this, Sujit Biswal stated, “I would say that Surya Pradhan is a good player and has contributed a lot for Odisha. He claims that he had played well in Odisha Premier League (OPL) held in June-July. However, he was recently given another opportunity to play for the Ranji Trophy, in which he had taken only seven wickets in six innings and scored a total of only 36 runs.”

“Suryakant could not stand up to the expectations and could not match the stature that he had. His performance deteriorated day by day. A person is selected to a team based on current performance. It is not that we have entirely dropped him,” Sujit Biswal added.