DDCA fails to pay coaches, support staff amid COVID-19 pandemic

Around 50 people, including senior Delhi team coaches like Bhaskar Pillay and Rajkumar Sharma (Virat Kohli’s childhood coach), are awaiting payments but their cheques are yet to be cleared.

New Delhi: The Delhi and Districts Cricket Association is yet to pay remuneration to its coaches and support staff of various state teams (senior, age group, and women) but has cleared legal expenses of more than ₹1.6 crores in the last four months.

Around 50 people, including senior Delhi team coaches like Bhaskar Pillay and Rajkumar Sharma (Virat Kohli’s childhood coach), are awaiting payments but their cheques are yet to be cleared. The due payments amount to ₹4.5 crores.

Rajkumar Sharma

The players, who represented the state in BCCI tournaments, have been luckier as the parent body transfers their match fee to their bank accounts.

“The BCCI has paid us our grant. ₹11 crore is there in DDCA coffers. I don’t know why none of the coaches, physios, masseurs have been paid. COVID-19 lockdown has just started but these payments have been pending for a long time,” said DDCA joint secretary Rajan Manchanda.

DDCA is yet to pay coaches, support staff remuneration.

Manchanda said only acting president Rakesh Bansal and secretary Vinod Tihara could answer the question.

“I am one of the authorised signatories. But you need to ask the secretary and acting president what is happening. I don’t know my role,” he added.

COVID-19

Both Tihara and Bansal were, however, unavailable for comment.

With the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic and the entire city under complete lockdown, the payments may take a while to get cleared as DDCA, like most other offices, has been shut down.