Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association is a body controlling and governing the game of cricket in the State of
Madhya Pradesh. MPCA is an affiliated unit of the
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). A look at the transition of MPCA will take us back to the year 1932 when the Central India Cricket Association came into existence. Later on, the Holkar Cricket Association from 1940–41 to 1954–55,
Madhya Bharat (1955 – 57) and subsequently the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association from 1957 till date. Before the Indian Independence, Indore, earlier known as
Indore, was a princely state under the control of the
Holkar Dynasty.
Indore was the hub of cricket activities during that era. HH Maharaja
Yeshwantrao Holkar II of
Indore State was a cricket fan and supported cricket and upcoming cricketers. To boost up the local cricket set-up, he invited prominent players like Col.
C K Nayudu,
Bhausaheb Nimbalkar,
Chandu Sarawate,
C S Nayudu,
Khandu Rangnekar,
Hiralal Gaekwad and
Kamala Bhandarkar to play cricket for his team in addition to locals such as The
Holkars. Capt. S
Mushtaq Ali,
Major M M Jagdale, and J N Bhaya. He also offered them job opportunities in his army. Col.
C K Nayudu was the captain of the Indian side for the first-ever test played in the year 1932 against England. The batting elegance of
Syed Mushtaq Ali can be gauged from the fact that he was the first Indian to score a Test century on foreign soil, against
England at
Manchester in 1936. These cricketers played a pivotal role in the development of the game in this part of the country. With support from local players like
Syed Mushtaq Ali,
Madhavsinh Jagdale,
J N Bhaya,
Rameshwar Pratap Singh and others, the
Holkar team appeared to be invincible. During the period of fifteen years from 1940–41 to 1954–55, the Holkar team won the coveted
Ranji Trophy on four occasions – 1945/46, 1947/48, 1950/51 and 1952/53. Moreover, they were the runner-up on six occasions in 1944/45, 1946/47, 1949/50, 1951/52, 1953/54 and 1954/55. Subsequently, the end of the
Holkar era created a vacuum in Madhya Pradesh Cricket for a few years. Though good cricketers were emerging on a regular basis, the team could not perform consistently. Players like
Bhagwandas Suthar, Subodh Saxena,
Sanjay Jagdale,
Narendra Menon,
Ashok Jagdale, Vijay Nayudu,
Syed Gulrez Ali,
Manohar Sharma, Ashwini Chaturvedi gave a glimpse of their talent and were amongst the leading domestic players knocking for a berth in the Indian side. With support from BCCI and the influx of young players, the MP team started performing as a cohesive unit and qualified regularly for the knock-out phase of the Ranji Tournament during the period from 1971 to 1980. However, the team could not replicate the winning performance of the Holkar team. Efforts on part of MPCA helped in laying the development pathway for the next generation of cricketers. Regular tournaments, upgradation of infrastructure, talent identification processes, the appointment of seasoned coaches, services from professional players and other measures were adopted in tandem to reach the desired goals. Players like
Narendra Hirwani,
Rajesh Chauhan,
J P Yadav,
Amay Khurasiya, and
Naman Ojha to name a few, gained the benefits of these efforts on part of MPCA and marked a place in Indian cricket with their performances. Late HH Maharaja
Madhavrao Scindia of
Gwalior, President – BCCI,
A W Kanmadikar, Secretary – BCCI, Late
Madhavsinh Jagdale,
Sanjay Jagdale,
Narendra Hirwani (All National Selectors),
Narendra Menon,
Sudhir Asnani (International Umpires) Dr. Uma Sengar (chairperson, GDA) have emerged from this system.
Sanjay Jagdale was secretary of the BCCI from MPCA. ==Divisional Association Members==