Lucknow, Nov. 10 -- Uttar Pradesh's 18-member squad for the T20 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy has again exposed the gap between the UPCA's slogan of nurturing players and its selection reality. Despite the UPT20 League being promoted as the state's talent pipeline, some of its leading performers have not made it to the squad for the tournament starting in Mumbai on November 14.

The omission of players who made a mark in UPT20 has raised questions about the Praveen Kumar-headed senior men's selection panel. The league was meant to identify and reward T20-ready cricketers, yet the squad suggests that performances in the league may again have carried limited weight in the selection room.

Karan Sharma, who has been named the captain, is an except...