VECL Chennai Season 1 is played by four clubs. All four are owned by the league, each is named for a south Chennai neighbourhood, and each fields a squad in every age band that runs. Here they are.
Sholinganallur Falcons
Sholinganallur, on the OMR corridor. The Falcons draw on the IT corridor along Old Mahabalipuram Road, where a great many of the league's families live and work.
Medavakkam Eagles
Medavakkam. The Eagles are based where the Elite academy sits, so their players train on the ground they represent.
Velachery Warriors
Velachery. One of the oldest cricketing pockets in south Chennai, and the shortest trip for families inside the city.
Perungudi Panthers
Perungudi. The Panthers sit between Velachery and the OMR corridor, and draw players from both.
Drafted, not signed
The question we are asked most about the clubs is whether a family can choose one. The answer is no, and it is worth explaining why.
Players are not signed by a club. After the selection days, the panel drafts the selected players across the four clubs, one age band at a time, balancing the squads so that no club is stacked and every game is worth playing. That balance is what turns a first season into a real competition rather than an exhibition.
The steps run like this:
- Selection days on Sunday 6 or 13 December, where every registered player bats, bowls and fields in front of the panel
- The draft, band by band, across the four clubs
- Offers from 26 December, which you confirm in the Elite app
- Squads final on 5 January, with Round 1 on Sunday 10 January 2027
The rules, plainly
- Families do not choose a club, and we do not take requests, whether for a friend, a suburb or a coach
- Living in a neighbourhood does not place a player in that club. A family in Velachery will not necessarily be drafted to Velachery Warriors
- A player keeps their club for the whole season
- Every club fields a squad in every age band that runs. A band without enough registrations is merged upward or held over to the next season
Brothers and sisters
Siblings in different age bands are a separate matter. Tell us, and we will keep them at the same ground where the draw allows it, so that one family is not split across a Sunday.
When squads are published
Squads are published on the teams page at vecl.in/teams once the draft is complete.
Part of a bigger league
The four Chennai clubs join the three Melbourne franchises, Northern Warriors, Western Falcons and Eastern Panthers, in the same league: seven clubs across two countries. We will say more about how Chennai and Melbourne connect in a post later this week.
Getting drafted starts with registering
Every player who ends up in one of these four clubs will have started on the same form. Registrations close on 22 November 2026; the fee is ₹250 per player, and it books the selection day but does not guarantee a place. The form is at vecl.in/register.
Tomorrow's post is a guide for parents, covering the league's policies in plain language. Questions about the clubs or the draft can go to info@elitecricketacademy.co.in or +91 93846 63776.