The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) is reportedly set to remove Ashu Dani following his alleged involvement in the tainted Indian Heaven Premier League (IHPL) held in Jammu and Kashmir. On Monday, the DDCA issued a statement saying that “appropriate action shall be taken against the individual,” confirming their intent to investigate and act against those connected to the unauthorized tournament.

The IHPL, which featured international cricket stars like Chris Gayle and Martin Guptill, recently made headlines for all the wrong reasons after its organizers allegedly fled due to unpaid dues, leaving players and hotel staff stranded. Surinder Khanna and Ashu Dani, who were reportedly serving as mentor and president of the league respectively, are both associated with the DDCA. Khanna was a member of the Cricket Advisory Committee, while Dani served as chief junior selector. According to reports, the DDCA is preparing to release both from their official duties.

A top DDCA official told The Times of India, “There’s a criminal case filed against Dani. It is expected he will resign himself, although he claims he is innocent. Or else DDCA will have to think of another action. As for Khanna, his role had finished once the selection committees and coaches were appointed for the season. His job was to recommend names for these jobs. He is unlikely to be involved further in the season.”

DDCA’s Stand on Unauthorized Leagues

Following the controversy, Mehak Khanna, daughter of Surinder Khanna, denied the claims, saying the report was incorrect and her father had “absolutely no involvement” with the league. “Mr. Surender Khanna has no relation to the league whatsoever past, present or future and was invited as a guest. He is not, and has never been, connected to the League’s planning, financials, administration, arrangements, organisation or continuation in any capacity whatsoever,” she told OneCricket.

She further clarified, “To the best of our knowledge and belief, the League is solely owned and organized by YUVA Society. Neither Mr. Khanna is a member, caretaker or office bearer, nor is he connected in any way to the said society. All decisions regarding the creation, conduct and discontinuation of the league rest exclusively with YUVA Society and its organizers.”

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Meanwhile, the DDCA had already issued a warning to all stakeholders, including players, coaches, and officials, instructing them to avoid involvement in unapproved or unauthorized tournaments. The statement read, “During their engagement with the DDCA, they are required to refrain from association with or participation in any unapproved, unauthorized, or unrecognized league, matches or tournaments, whether being held within the state or elsewhere.”

The DDCA also emphasized that any conflict of interest or violation would invite disciplinary measures. The statement further noted, “The players, coaches, support staff and match officials are expected to disclose any such relationship or possible conflict of interest immediately... appropriate action shall be taken against the individual.”

After 12 matches of the IHPL were played in Kashmir, the league collapsed when no players turned up for the 13th match between Uri Panthers and Gulmarg Royals on Sunday due to unpaid dues and unresolved financial issues.

The former captain of India’s Under-19 side, Unmukt Chand, has praised Gautam Gambhir’s leadership during his tenure as Delhi’s captain and claimed that once he went off, the politics started to grow around the Delhi District and Cricket Association (DDCA), which eventually harmed his career in Indian cricket.

The 32-year-old batter, since the last three years, has been featuring for the United States of America (USA) and revealed that several players’ career was hampered once Gautam Gambhir decided to retire from Delhi cricket. Chand dropped the bombshell statement during a recent interaction on Lallantop.

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“Until 2017, when Gautam Gambhir remained Delhi captain, nothing went wrong in the team because he was a very strong leader. He fought for players and backed them. But when he retired, Delhi cricket went through plenty of upheaval. Nitish (Rana) was dropped, Dhruv (Shorey) was doing well, and he was dropped, too. And everyone knows what’s happening.” Chand told Lallantop.

Unmukt Chand exposes DDCA’s politics after Gautam Gambhir retires from Delhi

Chand opened up on being dropped from the Delhi side seven years after his debut in first-class cricket. He slammed the selectors of the state side for eventually putting his career at a crossroads, as he later moved to Uttarakhand in 2019 before quitting Indian cricket two years later.

“You can call it politics because they threw me out. It has never happened that you remove the captain of India A from your state team. I can’t blame one person, but in a way, the selectors of DDCA are the ones taking such decisions. I felt bad that I served the Delhi team for such a long time and did reasonably well.” The former U-19 World Cup-winning captain informed.

Gambhir had a brief stint with the Delhi Capitals after finishing his role with the Kolkata Knight Riders. He is currently the head coach of the Indian men’s side, after mentoring the KKR franchise to their third title-winning campaign of the Indian Premier League in 2024 under Shreyas Iyer’s leadership.

The news of Virat Kohli’s probable participation in the new season of the Delhi Premier League (DPL) has broken the internet. After one year, it’s again time when the capital of India will gear up for the T20 carnival. The second edition of the tournament, after a successful first edition, gets stronger with the addition of two new teams, Outer Delhi Warriors and New Delhi Tigers.

Before the start of the new season, the franchises met in New Delhi for the auction. During the event, the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) president, Rohan Jaitley, revealed the plans on whether the former Indian captain would make an appearance in the competition. He echoed the emotion of all the fans of how they would be happy to see the batter back at his home ground.

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“We would be the happiest if Virat Kohli participates in the DPL, but for a person of his stature, mentorship and guidance to younger cricketers is far more important. And I am sure he is very much involved in Delhi cricket as he was earlier on.” The DDCA president, Rohan Jaitley, told us that the reports have been revealed.

Virat Kohli to play in the Delhi Premier League? DDCA president informs

Kohli, at present, is in England. A few days ago, he turned up at Wimbledon before appearing in the charity event show, hosted by the former team-mate and Indian all-rounder, Yuvraj Singh, where he met many former players and also the current batch of the Blue Brigade, who took on England during the five-match ongoing series.

Just after the end of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 at the start of the year, the 36-year-old featured during the Ranji Trophy 2025 game after a long time. Against the Railways, he walked at number four and got only six runs with the bat. Due to captain Ayush Badoni’s 99-run knock and Sumit Mathur’s 86, Delhi got just one inning to bat before earning an innings and 19 runs win.

Virat Kohli, who has already retired from the T20Is for the national side, contributed immensely for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) during the IPL 2025 as they lifted their maiden title. The right-handed batter smacked 657 runs in 15 innings at a strike rate of nearly 145, with eight half-centuries. 

While Virat Kohli has just returned to the Ranji Trophy after more than 12 years, the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) felicitated the former Indian captain.

Since the announcement of Virat Kohli’s return to domestic cricket, where the hosts Delhi are facing Railways in the last round of the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 group stage, the fans are excited to see him in the Ranji Trophy. While the match is available for live streaming, many fans are also experiencing the match live in the stadium. 

The 36-year-old Indian cricketer Virat Kohli batted on the second day of the match but was bowled by the Railways’ pacer Himanshu Sangwan for only six runs. It was another heartbreaking moment for the Indian cricket fans.

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DDCA felicitated Kohli for playing 100 Test matches

At the end of the second day of the match, DDCA felicitated Kohli for playing 100 Test matches, which the Indian cricketer achieved in March 2022 when they faced Sri Lanka in Mohali. He became the third Delhi cricketer to appear in 100 Test matches for the national team after Virender Sehwag and Ishant Sharma. DDCA President Rohan Jaitley honoured him with a customary shawl and a memento. 

THE MOMENTS DDCA FELICITATED VIRAT KOHLI AT ARUN JAITLEY STADIUM. 🐐🙇

- Video of the Day. ❤️pic.twitter.com/fY72Xw0WMk

— Tanuj Singh (@ImTanujSingh) January 31, 2025

Virat Kohli touched his childhood coach's feet

Kohli’s childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma was also present in the special honour programme. Kohli was seen touching his childhood coach’s feet. 

VIRAT KOHLI TOUCHING HIS CHILDHOOD COACH'S FEET. (Vipul Kashyap). pic.twitter.com/siZNuUSKMc

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) January 31, 2025