Delhi Capitals bowling coach Munaf Patel has called for urgent changes to India’s cricket structure, arguing that the current ecosystem is not consistently producing the kind of high-quality players it claims to nurture. The former India fast bowler believes the National Cricket Academy (NCA) and the wider domestic pathway need urgent reform, warning that the system has failed to create a clear pipeline from grassroots cricket to the highest level. Speaking on the Bombay Sports Exchange Podcast, Patel said the issue is not limited to one institution, but is rooted in how talent is developed, monitored and supported across the country.
Patel’s central point was that India’s feeder system lacks a strong, well-defined route for players to progress through the ranks. He argued that specialised support has been overlooked, leaving many young cricketers to develop without the full range of coaching and medical and performance services that modern cricket demands. In his view, state-level grassroots infrastructure must be upgraded so aspiring players can access physiotherapy, trainers and structured coaching on a regular basis, rather than relying on sporadic opportunities.
His remarks turned sharper when he criticised the NCA, describing it as having a narrow focus. Patel said the academy’s priorities appear to lean heavily towards rehabilitation and getting players back to fitness, rather than taking a holistic approach to developing all aspects of a player’s game. “Just look at the setup,” he said. “If you go inside the NCA, you’ll see everything. I’ve been saying it for a long time—this needs to change, 100 percent.”
Patel also traced the NCA’s origins, pointing out that it was modelled on Australia’s Centre of Excellence when the academy was established in the early 2000s. He said the framework was adopted from Australia’s coaching manuals at the time, but has not kept pace with the updates that have been made in Australia over the years. “Back in 2000-01, when the NCA started, Raj Singh Dungarpur and others built it by using Australia’s Centre of Excellence model,” Patel explained. “They brought their coaching manual and implemented it here. Since then, Australia has revised their manuals multiple times, but we’re still working with the same manual that’s about 25 years old from 2000. It hasn’t really evolved. Hopefully, with the new Centre of Excellence, things might change—but so far, that hasn’t happened,” he added.
Another key issue Patel raised was the NCA’s changing function in players’ minds. He suggested that the academy has effectively become a place primarily for treatment and recovery—something he compared to a “hospital”—instead of a centre for continuous skill correction and development. “When I get injured, I go to the NCA. Why? To get fit,” he said. “It has started to feel more like a hospital. You recover, come back, and go straight into the team. But who corrects your mistakes? If I’m a bowler or a batter, it’s not only about fitness—my skills also need improvement.”
Patel further claimed that many players are reluctant to visit the NCA, but remain silent because speaking out could threaten their place and livelihood. In his words, players are wary of the academy and would rather not go, yet they avoid raising concerns publicly. “Players are fearful of going to the NCA; nobody really wants to go,” he said. “But everyone stays quiet because their livelihood depends on it. No one wants to speak up as it could create trouble. Still, higher authorities should know what is right and wrong.”
Looking beyond the academy itself, Patel highlighted monitoring gaps across India’s domestic competitions, saying there is no reliable system tracking what is happening across the vast domestic circuit. “There’s no system tracking what’s happening in domestic cricket. For that, the NCA needs to be more regional,” he said, arguing that regional oversight would help identify shortcomings earlier and improve the consistency of player development.
Patel’s comments arrive as India continues to debate how best to convert domestic talent into international-ready cricketers, and his call for stronger grassroots facilities, clearer pathways and a reimagined role for the NCA places development as the central priority. With the cricketing calendar moving fast, the debate over structures—especially those meant to shape the next generation—only grows louder.
