DDCA selector Amit Bhandari attacked by henchmen for not selecting U-23 cricketer

Bhandari is currently undergoing treatment in a hospital. The extent of the injury is yet to be known.

In a shocking incident, former India fast bowler and current Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) chairman of selectors Amit Bhandari was allegedly attacked with hockey sticks by henchmen of a U-23 Delhi cricketer on Monday. Bhandari is currently undergoing treatment in Sant Parmananda hospital, New Delhi.

The DDCA selectors were conducting trials in the Saint Stephens ground for the knockout one-day tournament slated to begin from Wednesday when goons allegedly beat up Bhandari for not selecting their preferred cricketer. Bhandari was taken to hospital by Sukhwinder Singh, a memebr of DDCA's senior selection committee.

This is not the first time such an incident had taken place in Delhi Cricket. Not long ago the junior selectors had a gun pointed at him for not favouring a cricketer for Delhi's U-16 team.

Delhi’s first game in the U-23 knockout tournament is against Maharashtra on Wednesday.

Bhandari had represented India in 2 ODIs.

He sustained head and ear injuries and was taken to Sant Paramanand Hospital at Civil Lines by his colleague Sukhvinder Singh. The goons fled the spot before the police could reach. Delhi & Districts Cricket Association (DDCA) president Rajat Sharma told PTI that guilty will not be spared.

"We are trying to procure all details of the incident. As far as I have come to know, it is regarding one disgruntled player, who didn't make it to the probables list for the National U-23 tournament.

"The SHO from the local police station has reached the Stephen's ground and I have personally spoken to the Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik. The guilty will not go unpunished. I promise exemplary action against whoever is found involved in this misdeed. We will register an FIR," Sharma said.

Delhi's senior and U-23 team manager Shankar Saini narrated the incident.

"I was having my meal along with a colleague inside the tent and Bhandari along with other selectors and senior team coach Mithun Manhas was watching the probables play a trial match.

"A couple of men first came and went up to Bhandari. There were heated exchanges between Bhandari and the two men. They left and before we could gather our thoughts, suddenly some 15 men armed with hockey sticks, rods and cycle chains came charging," Saini said.

"When the other boys attending the trials along with us rushed to save Bhandari, they started threatening us and one of them said, "Don't get into this or else we will shoot you."

"They hit Bhandari with hockey sticks and rods and he sustained head injury," the former Delhi seamer added.

When asked who could be behind the attack, Saini said, "I was not there when these two guys came and spoke with Bhandari. He is obviously rattled and once he gives his statement to the police, we will get to know more."

Delhi cricket has always been mired in corruption charges and allegations of dubious selections at the various age-group levels have also surfaced time and again.