Delhi’s Iconic Sonnet Cricket Club Left Without Home After Being Evicted From Sri Venkateswara College
Delhi cricket witnessed a sad day on Sunday as the iconic Sonnet Cricket Club got evicted from its long-time base at Sri Venkateswara College. Founded in 1969 by Dronacharya awardee coach Tarak Sinha, the club has produced over a dozen Indian cricketers and several players representing various states in the domestic circuit.
Eviction from Long-Time Base
The Sonnet Club started at the Birla School in Kamla Nagar before travelling to Ajmal Khan Park in Karol Bagh, DCM Ground, PGDAV College, Rajdhani College, and Piknic Hut.
It finally settled at Sri Venkateswara College, but now the club is without a home and space for the current students to train and hone their cricketing skills. Devendra Sharma, the long-time coach at Sonnet Club, revealed that April 30 was the last day of practice at the college.
Sharma, who played 14 first-class matches for Delhi, expressed concerns about the turn of events, which has left Sonnet without a base and the future uncertain. Currently, Sonnet has four coaches and 100 students enrolled for practice, out of which 40 boys are state players. Sharma added that the students were asking him where they would get to practice next, but he had no answer.
According to Sharma, the college management did not provide any reason behind the eviction. “We used to pay on time. We didn’t have anything to do with madam or management. We just used to do our practice and go,” he said.
Sharma speculated that some people in the management may not be sports-minded and could be the reason for the eviction. The former principal of the college, Dr A. Sankara Reddy, tried to convince the current principal to allow Sonnet to continue practicing, but to no avail.
Finding a New Space for Practice
For now, finding a new space for the hundred students enrolled under Sonnet to practice is a high priority for Sharma. “Our U-14 team is the best, which is captained by Vedant Sehwag, the younger son of Virender Sehwag. Both boys of Viru play under me at the club and even he said, ‘Where my kids will play now?'”
Sharma said that he was trying to find a place for practice but had not found anything yet. He assured the students that he would inform them about the next practice location.
He added that some students were crying in the morning, wondering what would happen next. Sharma said, “I said to them that God will give some space to us, and what if he gives wisdom to madam.”
The eviction of the Sonnet Cricket Club from Sri Venkateswara College has left Delhi’s iconic club without a base. The club has produced some of India’s finest cricketers and represented several states in the domestic circuit. The reason for the eviction remains unclear, and finding a new space for practice is a priority for the coaches and students at Sonnet.
