NCA feels more like a 'Hospital'... players are fearful of going: Munaf Patel

Q: What are Munaf Patel's main concerns about the National Cricket Academy?

Munaf Patel is concerned that the NCA focuses too much on rehabilitation instead of holistic player development, which he believes undermines the growth of quality cricketers.

Q: How does Munaf Patel suggest improving India's cricketing ecosystem?

He suggests strengthening grassroots infrastructure, including better access to physiotherapists, trainers, and structured coaching at the state level.

Q: What changes does Munaf Patel believe are necessary for the NCA?

Patel believes the NCA needs to undergo significant changes to better support player development and create a more effective feeder pathway for aspiring cricketers.

Former India pacer and current Delhi Capitals bowling coach Munaf Patel has raised serious concerns about India’s cricketing ecosystem, calling for urgent reforms in the National Cricket Academy (NCA) and the domestic structure.

Speaking on TOI Sports’ Bombay Sports Exchange Podcast, Munaf did not hold back in his assessment, suggesting that the current system lacks a strong feeder pathway and has inadvertently sidelined specialised institutions. He stressed that grassroots infrastructure, including access to physiotherapists, trainers, and structured coaching, must be strengthened at the state level to produce quality cricketers consistently.

Munaf was particularly critical of the NCA, describing it as overly focused on rehabilitation rather than holistic player development.

“Just look at the setup,” he said. “If you go inside the NCA, you’ll understand everything. I’ve been saying this for a long time, it needs to change, 100 percent.”

Tracing its origins, Munaf pointed out that the NCA was built in the early 2000s based on Australia’s Centre of Excellence model.

''Back in 2000-01, when the NCA started, Raj Singh Dungarpur and others built it by adopting Australia’s Centre of Excellence model. They brought their coaching manual and implemented it in India. Since then, Australia has updated their manuals multiple times, but we are still following the same 25-year-old manual from 2000. It hasn’t really evolved. Hopefully, with the new Centre of Excellence, things might change, but so far, that hasn’t happened,'' Munaf said during podcast.

One of his sharpest criticisms was of the NCA’s current role, which he likened to a “hospital.”

''Tell me this, when I get injured, I go to the NCA. Why? To get fit. It has become 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 batter, it’s not just about fitness, my skills also need improvement,'' Munaf said.

Munaf also revealed that many players deny to go to the NCA, but refrain from speaking out due to fear of livelihood.

''Players are fearful of going to the NCA, nobody really wants to go. But everyone stays quiet because their livelihood depends on it. No one wants to speak up as it could create trouble. However, the higher authorities should know what’s right and wrong,'' he added.

Highlighting structural gaps, Munaf pointed out the lack of monitoring across India’s 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.