VHA gets interim relief from High Court

Special Correspondent

Aug 13, 2026

THE Vidarbha Hockey Association (VHA) secured an interim relief after the Nagpur Bench of Bombay High Court admitted its petition objecting to Collector and Additional Divisional Commissioner’s order of taking custody of the ground, on Wednesday.

The High Court has listed the matter for further hearing on August 27, 2026. 

Till then, civic administration has been asked to file its reply.

Justice Nandesh Deshpande issued the notices after the association approached the court seeking justice.

The Tehsildar was scheduled to take possession of the ground on Thursday, August 13. 

However, the coercive action now has been postponed for two weeks.

Adv Shantanu Khedkar and Adv Anurag Mankar appeared for VHA.

It could be termed as a huge relief for Krishna Joshi who is single-handedly fighting for VHA’s existence in court and with Hockey Maharashtra and Hockey India for the past few years.

Joshi has been appointed as co-ordinator by VHA Administrator Triloki Nath Sidhra, after the latter shifted to Punjab a couple of years ago. 

On August 10, Additional Divisional Commissioner Tushar Mathkar had refused to give stay to the District Collector’s order on taking custody of VHA ground.

According to Joshi, the civic administration passed the order without hearing his side which forced him to move court.

The District Collector, in his July 17 order, had asked Tehsildar to take custody of the ground after its lease, which was till 2037, was cancelled.

The office of Nayab Tehsildar of Nazul Department had then sent a notice addressing to VHA Secretary regarding taking control of the 3.8 acres of hockey field. Interestingly, there is no official body of VHA since Triloki Nath Sidhra was appointed as the Administrator of the association in 2019 on a High Court’s order to Deputy Charity Commissioner’s office.

As per the July 17 order, VHA had ceased to satisfy the conditions needed to continue the ground’s lease. 

It came after an adverse report submitted by the DSO which flagged lack of facilities for players and holding of tournaments. 

Joshi termed all allegations as false and baseless.

VHA to move court after Additional Divisional Commissioner refuses stay on Collector’s order

Special Correspondent

Aug 11, 2026

VIDARBHA Hockey Association (VHA) will be moving court in an attempt to save its ground after Additional Divisional Commissioner Tushar Mathkar refused stay on District Collector’s order on taking custody of the ground.

On July 17, Collector cancelled the lease of VHA and ordered the Nazul department to take custody of the 3.80 acres of the land situated off Amravati Road.

During the hearing, Mathkar passed an order stating that there was no reason to give a stay on the Collector’s order.

The next hearing is slated for October 21, 2026.

The Collector, in his July 17 order, had asked Tehsildar to take custody of VHA ground after its lease was cancelled.

The office of Nayab Tehsildar of Nazul Department had then sent a notice addressing VHA Secretary regarding taking control of the field after the lease of the ground was cancelled last month.

According to the notice, Tehsildar will be taking possession of the ground on August 13.

Interestingly, there is no official body of VHA since Triloki Nath Sidhra was appointed as the Administrator of the association in 2019 on a High Court’s order to Deputy Charity Commissioner’s office.

As per the July 17 order, VHA had ceased to satisfy the conditions needed to continue the ground’s lease. It came after an adverse report submitted by the District Sports Office (DSO) which flagged lack of facilities for players and holding of tournaments at the ground.

VHA had approached to the Divisional Commissioner to look into the matter and quash District Collector’s order.

Krishna Joshi, co-ordinator appointed by Sidhra, once again appealed Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is Patron of VHA, to intervene in the matter. “I once again request VHA patron CM Fadnavis help us in saving the iconic ground,” said Joshi.

Tehsildar to take control of VHA ground on 13th

By Paritosh Pramanik

NAGPUR, Aug 8, 2026

IT’S GONE! Long live VHA ground!

The  hockey ground off Amravati Road, which was in the possession of Vidarbha Hockey Association (VHA) for decades, will be taken away by the Nazul Department.

The office of Nayab Tehsildar of Nazul Department has sent a notice to VHA Secretary regarding taking control of the 3.8 acres of hockey field after the lease of the ground was cancelled last month.

Interestingly, there is no official body of VHA since TN Sidhra was appointed as the Administrator of the association in 2019 by the High Court.

The Nazul department will be taking control of the ground on August 13 at 11 am and has asked officials or representatives of VHA to “remain present at the ground during the process,” states the notice dated August 5, 2026, which is in possession of ‘The Hitavada’.

Last month, District Collector had terminated the lease VHA and had asked Tehsildar to take possession of the piece of land.

As per the July 17, 2026 order, VHA had ceased to satisfy the conditions needed to continue the lease. It came after an adverse report submitted by the District Sports Office which flagged lack of facilities for players and holding of tournaments at the ground.

VHA had moved the Divisional Commissioner to look into the matter and quash the order passed by the District Collector.

VHA is in possession of the 3.8 acres of land on Amravati Road since 1962. The lease was renewed in 2007 and it was to continue till 2037.

The Collector had asked VHA to furnish all the documents of the lease and sought to know whether the lease rules were followed in toto. 

In that order, the Collector had also mentioned that the annual lease fee was not paid for several years. Other reasons for cancellation of lease were that the ground was not maintained, uneven bushes were all around the field, absence of astro-turf. 

The loss of such a memorable ground, which has hosted many enthralling matches, should be attributed to the infighting and ego tussle within VHA. Till date the life members, who claim themselves to be the flag-bearer of the game in the region and the clubs, have hardly come forward in support of saving the ground. 

For decades, the life members continued to fight for posts either in the erstwhile Indian Hockey Federation or in VHA. None thought for the betterment of the game, be it its Presidents, Secretaries or the members of executive committees over the years.

The appointment of an Administrator too could not solve the in-fighting. The Administrator shifted to northern part of the country appointing a co-ordinator who till date is fighting the lone battle. But that is not enough to save the ground from Doomsday! 

Long live VHA ground!

Co-ordinator Joshi seeks VHA Patron CM Fadnavis’ intervention

WITH no help from any quarter, Co-ordinator Krishna Joshi in a last-ditch attempt texted a message to VHA Patron Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to help in saving the ground.

In his message Joshi requested the Chief Minister to call a meeting of all stakeholders and then only take any decision.

“The ground is home to thousands hockey players of 11 districts and if it is taken away from them it will ruin their careers. I request you to please reconsider the Collector’s decision and intervene in the matter.”

Pacer Yadav parts ways with VCA

 TO PLAY FOR ODISHA FROM COMING SEASON

By Paritosh Pramanik

7-8-2026

VIDARBHA pacer Lalit Yadav has parted ways with Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) and has decided to play for Odisha from the coming season.

Yadav, took the No Objection Certificate (NOC) from VCA a few days ago and will be moving to the eastern state of the country in a couple of days.

“Yes, I got the NOC from VCA and I will be playing for Odisha. I wanted to explore new things and test myself in new conditions hence I decided to move to Odisha. I will be joining them in a couple of days,” Yadav told ‘The Hitavada’ on Thursday.

Yadav said he is aware that the combinations in VCA set-up is not favourable for him and hence the decision to move.

Vidarbha now boasts of young pacers like Yash Thakur, Nachiket Bhute, Darshan Nalkande, Praful Hinge, Aditya Thakare to name a few and it would have been quite challenging for Yadav to sneak into the side.

“The combinations are now changing in Vidarbha cricket. There are new players (bowlers) who are rubbing shoulders with experienced players. I am aware of the competition now. Hence I decided to try my luck in other State. But my first love will be Vidarbha. Whatever I am today is because of VCA and I am highly obliged for the support I got from the association,” said the fast bowler.

Yadav has played 31 First-Class matches for Vidarbha. He has also played eight List A and 10 T20 matches for Vidarbha.

Interestingly, he made his Ranji Trophy debut against Odisha in 2016 at Visakhapatnam where he took two second innings wickets in a drawn tie.

The tearaway fast bowler represented Vidarbha for the last time against Tamil Nadu last season and could pick only a wicket.

Till date, Yadav has taken 80 wickets from 31 First-Class matches with five five-fors under his belt. His best of 7-56 came against Chhattisgarh in a Ranji Trophy match in 2018 in Raipur.

The 30-year-old seamer said he would love to come back and play Vidarbha Premier League (VPL) for Pagariya Strikers.

“I don’t know the procedure. But given a chance I will definitely play for Pagariya Strikers in the coming VPL season.”

Yadav said that he got assurance from Odisha Cricket Association for maximum matches.

“They have assured me of maximum matches in both red and white ball cricket hence I decided to test my skills there,” added Yavatmal’s Yadav.

VCA Secretary Sanjay Badkas confirmed that Yadav sought NOC some four-five days back and the association has granted him the same.

“Our (VCA’s) policy is simple. We never stop any player from seeking NOCs. We want Vidarbha players to flourish, anywhere. If they (the players) feel that they could do much better while playing for some other State we never stop them,” Badkas told ‘The Hitavada’.

Pacer Rajneesh Gurbani (Maharashtra), spinner Aditya Sarwate (Chhattisgarh) and batter Mohit Kale (Pondicherry) are a few names from Vidarbha who are playing for other States.